Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations Scrapbooks 2000 by Molstead Library at North Idaho College

Seminar celebrates bI~s~1 hi~!PEY month

Human Equality Club President addresses Issues needing change by Kali Tupper Neirs Editor

nding raci s m. sex ism . homophobia. and disrespect were a few of the many issues di sc ussed at a Black History Awareness Seminar. The even t was sponsored by the Hu man Equality Club in recognition of Black Hi sto ry Month Feb. 28. T he seminar, held in the SUB, was hosted by Donovan Arnold. vice president o f the human equality club. Mike Bundy, history instructor, opened the semmar by discussing black history in America. B.J . Johnson. pres ident of the Hu man Equality Club, spoke about the work he believed America still has to do. "( America) is facing social problems that should be gone:· Johnson said. He said that the many people are s till homo phobic, women are still facing sexism. the disabled are still disrespected and people are still dealing with racism. He commended all the people who have faced adversity after going public at the cost of being ridiculed, beaten and even killed. Johnson said they have a right to be whomever they want.

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"That's courage I wish I hact:· Johnson said. He said that people need to be open and acknowledge the::.e social problems. Although easier sai d than done. according to Johnson. he asked that people try to understand and end these tireso me . century o ld issues. Johnson said he was proud to be an American and thanked N IC for creating an environment where students can stand up and say what th ey want. "(It's) a big road ahead," Johnson sa id , "We need lo deal with it.,. In c los ing. J o hnson thanked the many who photo by Lucas Romano died in this country for B.J. Johnson, left, president of the Human Equality Club, talks freedom. with Parley Estes after the Black History Awareness Seminar. "Freed om h as been paid for, lets treat it like that.'' giving a literary tes t to three Stewart asked the questions. One Johnson said. ASNIC members. The literary test s uc h question wa ·' if the Tony Steward. political science was given to African Americans preside nt is impeac hed, is he instructor. asked that we rid in order for them 10 vote and in immediately removed and when a ourselves of bigotry. order to pass, every question had person is impeached, how many He said that many things in the to be answered correctly. votes convict him and what is the past are not to be proud of. The test was written by the econd vote for?" The ASNIC " It's evil Lo treat human beings in such a way," Steward said. By Alabama State Coun and in 1965, members didn't pass. T he seminar drew more than sayi ng we are superior to o ther it was aboli she d . The test was people is a sin and djscrimination, given to some ASNTC members in 40 people and helped celebrate order to show how difficult it was and educate about a n important according to Stewart. Stewart closed the seminar by to pass and how unfair the test was. pan of American history .

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North Idahoans condemn racists' mass mailing Petition denounces intolerance after latest hate message By Heather Lalley

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COEUR d'ALENE - More than 800 people have signed a petition condemning the latest mass mailing of hate literature to North Idaho residents. The flier, sent this month by the Sandpoint-based white supremacist group 11th Hour Remnant Messenger, names about a dozen local and national human rights activists. It labels local and national human rights groups as communists and "haters of America." Among the groups mentioned are the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force, the Kootenai County Task Force on H uman Re lations, the AntiDefamation League, the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment and the American Civil Liberties Union. "I just want to stand up and say, 'It's not me. It's not us; " said Anna Bates, a Coldwater Creek employee who mobilized 125 co-workers to sign the petition in two days. "Let's show our own area, the rest of the state and the country that people with this particular viewpoint do not represent us. They are not the majority." Kootenai County Prosecutor Bill Dou~las is investigating whether the maihng violates Idaho's criminal libel

The Bonner County Human Rights Task Force will meet at6:30p.m . today at the Sandpoint Community Hall. Apanel discussion on offensive speech will begin at 7:30p.m.

statutes becauc;e it names individuals. ''There are obviously First Amendment issues. but there are also issues with regard to harm," Douglas

said. Coeur d'A· lene Realtor Marshall Mend, a member of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, 1s named in the mailing. Mend said he has feared for his business and for the safety of his family since the flier was sent. "I'm the farthest thing from a communist," Mend said. "I believe in the capitalist system and the American way.... I didn't think it was very nice." Kootenai County task force member Tony Stewart and Bonner County task force members Gretchen Hellar and Paul Graves, Sandpoint mayor, are the other North Idaho residents named in the mailing. Continued: Petttlon/A4

COEUR d'AIENE

Article praised for portrayal of lake City By BILL BULEY Staff writer

COEUR d' ALENE - City and human rights leaders are praising a Wednesday article in USA Today for getting out the real story of Coeur d'Alene. "It gave a good description ofall the things we've done (to promote human rights)," said Mayor SteveJudy. "This stor y sure helps," said local Realtor Marshall Mend a founding member of the Koote~ County Task Force on Human Relations. . The lengthy article, accompanied by seven photos, recounts Coeur d'Alene's efforts to mount a ARTICLE continued on A3

ARTICLE continued from A1 publicity campaign and battle its image as a home to the Aryan Nations. Under th e headHne, "City says only thing it hates is its image," writer John Ritter outlines the city's history of human rights honors, plans to hire a human rights coor din ator and bow a small wh ite supremacist group tainted the area's reputation and damaged the economy. "We will never know how many millions of dollars we have lost because of our image," Mend said. "We will never know how many businesses haven't moved here because of our image. We will never know

how many minority people have not moved here because of our image." But there is hope to straighten things out, he said. "This article, and others like it promoting Coeur d'Alene for what it really is, can turn our area around," he said. "We need to sell Coeur d'Alene for what it really is." Tony Stewart, former president of the Nor thwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment and also of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, was pleased with Ritter's article in a publication that has a national circulation of more than 1 million. "I think the article overall is helpful," he said. Stewar t said the stor y states Coeur

d'Alene's hi stor y that includes human rights awards, organizations that stand up for equality and events to combat racism. "I was happy to see that historical record there," he said. "I think the people who read this around the country, the great majority of the article says people of North Idaho oppose the hate." Judy said that while the article accurately captured Coeur d'Alene's efforts to combat negative press, the city has more work to do. "We have to make sure we're stepping up and living that commitment to welcome everyone," he said. Mend agreed. "We need to have more diversity in our area. We just can't talk about diversity. We definitely need to have diversity," he said.

Petition: 'This has become very personal' Continued from A1 "I take what they re doing seriously, but I didn't see it as a threat," Grave aid. 'I saw it as stepping over the line . . . People have responded in such a fast and amazing way because they recognize in a way thi has become very personal." The petition drive coincide with the annual meeting of the Bonner County Human Right Task Force. Hate-group leaders have attended previous meetings, but task force members said they did not know whether white supremacists would show up this year. Four principals from Bonner County high schools will participate in a panel discussion on offensive language. They will talk about definition of offeo ive language and how to create a positive environment in schools. The 11th Hour Remnant Messenger has sent racist mass mailings to North Idaho residents several times this year. The group, a Christian

AT A GLANCE

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~lsunwelcome; W8 stand togelher as neighbors against kdDlerance... Identity church is bankrolled by R. Vincent Bertollini and Carl E. Story, who moved to the Sandpoint area a few years ago. Bertollini did not respond to an e-mail request Monday to comment on the mailings. Bonner County task force members said some people chose not to sign the petition out of fear for their afety. But task force board member Gary Payton said he s thankful for those who added their names. This outpouring of sentiment is the voice of the real North Idaho," Payton said. "There are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people who stand for equality and tand for dignity. ' â&#x20AC;˘ Heather Lalley can be reached at (208) 765-7132 or by e-mail at heatherl@spokesman.com.

Bnao Plonka/The SpokesmanÂˇRev,ew

Kylie Turbin, 5, learns about diHerent cultures and ethnic diversity by playing with dolls purchased through a grant from the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations.

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Serving Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, R.atlulmm, Hayden Lake and the communities of North Idaho

Saturday, April 8, 2000

The Idaho Spokesman-Review

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Dolls arejust one path to teaching kids about diversi:ty and tolerance By Alison Boggs/Staff writer

OEUR d'ALENE-The Coeur d'Alene High School human rights club had mostly faded away a few years ago. Most of the members had lost interest and the advisor had dropped out. So last May, six students and the school librarian attended a three-day human rights camp. They gathered information from other schools on how to revitalize their club and build momentum. Now the club's core group of 10 members is planning a cultural fair, developing connection to Amnesty International and putting together

fund-raisers. That's thanks largely to the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, which paid the $500 camp admission price. The task force started in 1980, but it has placed greater emphasis on education since the Aryan Nations began marching through downtown Coeur d'Alene two summers ago. When the Aryans announced their 1998 march, the task force began a pledge drive called "Lemons to Lemonade." For every minute the Aryans marched, money was donated to human rights groups. Donations reached $35,000 the Continued. Task force/Page 4

Also inside: Teen boxer Jennifer Price is no quitter/Page 8

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Saturday. April 8, 2000

From the cover/Opinion

Task force: Fighting prejudice and hate with education Continued from page 1 first summer. Since then, the task force bas formed a separate group to raise money for education and is planning a free seminar to help educators learn to incorporate diversity lessons into the curriculum. "lfwe're going to be successful in lessening or eradicating prejudice or hate, it has to come through the educational process," said Tony Stewart, a task force spokesman. "Children must be taught at a very young age the wrongs or prejudice or bigotry." Since the first Aryan March, schools and teachers have applied for task force grants totalling as much as $1,500 to bring programs to their schools that will help students appreciate diversity. The task force has already awarded more than $20,000 to schools to promote human rights. Schools have used the money to beef up their collections of books on other cultures. They've purchased videos on diversity. They've brought speakers to their schools who emphasize the contributions made by people of varying ethnic backgrounds. Post Falls Middle School teachers, for example, brought in a presentation that illustrated the suffering of Japanese Americans placed in internment camps during World War II. Japanese people who had been interned also visited the school. "They were like, 'Wow, we didn't know that happened,' " teacher Dona Pettoello said of her students. ''There were tears. It was very emotional." Rebecca Martin, who runs a preschool and day care in Post Falls, used her $600 task force grant to buy dolls that show peoples' differences. There's a white girl, a Mexican girl, and an African-American boy. There's also accessories for the dolls

- a wheelchair, arm braces and a guide dog - designed to help children learn about disabilities. Martin reads her children books about other cultures and they listen to tapes of !Qlk festivals from other countries. "I don't get too many questions about why this doll's a different color,'' she said. "They just play with them. "I try to keep it simple and mainly just teach them about differences. I think it wilJ help them as they grow up and encounter other cultures," Martin said. Lisa Eberle, president of CHS' human rights club, said rejuvenating the group will help the school address prejudice. She said the school doesn't have a huge racism problem, but students say hurtful things to each other and need to be aware of them. "You can count on two hands how many people are not Caucasian," she said. "There's no diversity.'' At Hayden Lake Elementary School, fifth-grade teacher Lisa Timmons used her $500 task force grant to buy books about AfricanAmerican, Hispanic and Native American cultures. "Basieally, what we want to do is expose kids to the cultures,'' Timmons said. "In our area, that's bard todo.'' Timmons said teachers have incorporated the books into a variety of lessons, ranging from social studies to cooking. "Awareness is the greatest impact it's bad," she said. "The more aware they are of different cultures, the more tolerant they are.'' Last March, the task force took its educational efforts a step further. It Âˇ created the nonprofit Human Rights Education Foundation to raise money for education. Former State Sen. Mary Lou Reed was selected to be the foundation's president. The task force's annual human rights banquet, which raises thousands of dollars for education, bas become the

foundation's primary fund-raiser. In September, the task force and foundation wilJ sponsor a free, twoday diversity training seminar for teachers. Experienced trainers from all over the country wilJ come to North Idaho College to speak and hold workshops. The goal is to give educators tools to incorporate lessons on diversity into the regular curriculum. The seminar will include speakers such as Loretta Ross, founder and executive director of the Atlantabased Center for Human Rights Education, and Raymond Reyes, Gonzaga University's associate vice president for diversity. When the list of panelists and speakers is complete, Stewart said, the foundation will begin marketing the program to teachers throughout the.Inland Northwest. The seminar wilJ be open to preschool through college-level educators. Reyes said he believes democracy's success depends on the acceptance and promotion of multi-cultural perspectives. As technology creates a global village, Americans are going to have to learn to embrace other cultures and learn other languages, be said. "We're developing people that are going to be working in a world that's going to be much different than at any time in history,'' he said. "We have to have multiple perspectives. That's got to begin in the classroom when they're young." â&#x20AC;˘ Alison Boggs can be reached at 765-n36 or by e-mail at allsonb@spokesman.com.

'II.a au:.~ Coeur d'Alene: The Idaho panhandle city wants to be known as a world-dass outdoor recreation spot - not as a gathering point for the white supremacists and hate groups who have - - - - - - - - . drawn national attention.

City says only thing

it hates is its image

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, is mounting a publicity campaign. The message: This community will not be defined by the white supremacists who have set up camp nearby. By John Ritter

USA TODAY

COEUR D'ALENE. Idaho or years, the deep lakes and splendid forests of this outof-the-way region have stood in contrast with a darker image: the hate message of local neo-Nazis. Since Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler 6uilt a compound here in the 1970s, dealing Idaho's sparsely populated panhandle a black eye, this cjty of 40,000 has been losing a public relations war. "fraveling around the country, when I tell people where I'm from, they say, 'Oh. yeah. that's the place with all those crazies,Âˇ " says Dan Dolezal, owner of the Camera Corral on Sherman Avenue, the downtown route of nationally publicized parades organized by Butler and his white-supremacist followers. News out of northern Idaho is often negative, whether it's a bombing, a skinhead rally or a high-profile newcomer known for extremist views. A few years ago, one of those was former Los Angeles police detective Mark Fuhrman. whose racial motives were questioned in the OJ. Simpson murder

case.

Now the city, with help from a multimillionaire philanthropist, is fighting back. Advertisements have Embarrassing associations: Aryan Nations demonstrators and coungone out for a new job in City Hall: terprotesters face off in a Coeur d'Alene city park in July 1999. a human rights coordinator who'll mount a campaign to erase the nasty perceptions. "Aryanbuster" is the job description on the street. "You have to hand it to Richard Butler: Publicity is his game. and he's good at it," Mayor Steve Judy says. "We've got to do a better job countering that." Image-building is becoming a statewide priority. Coeur d'Alene's new coordinator will be on the payroll of the Idaho Association of Cities, whose goal is to create similar positions elsewhere. The $50,000 annual salary will be picked up by the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Universitv.

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Gov. Dfrk Kempthorne asked the Legislature this session for $100,000 co figure out how to market Idaho to a nation that thinks of it in two ways: potatoes and goosestepping brownshirts. "We have a handful of malcontents that we know does not represent what Idaho is all about," Kempthorne says. "Our biggest challenge is to get people here for the first time. Once they're here, they become ambassadors for us." Coeur d'Alene's merchants believe the hate groups keep visitors away. though they can't put a dollar figure on their losses. With employment in mining and timber declining, seasonal tourism is a mainstay of the local economy. vacationers are drawn to Lake Coeur d'Alene and its world-class resort, to mountain sports and recreation from May through September. Like many small towns, Coeur d'Alene has its share of empty storefronts. And when the Aryans

By JdrT. C<Tâ&#x20AC;˘n for USA TODAY

Judy: 'We're going to go out and take our image back,' mayor says. march on a Saturday at the height of the season. business suffers. 'We're an established business 93 years - but it still hurts us," says Todd Hudson, co-owner of Hudson's Hamburgers. Tourist-dependent retaiJers lose the most when downtown businesses close for the Aryan marches. Losing one day of summer business, Hudson says, is "a month in the winter for some." Michael Burke, president of North Idaho College here, says the campus of 4,000 students has no more than a dozen or so AfricanAmericans, and recruiting minority faculty has gotten harder in the last two years. "It's frustrating, because this is a

wonderful place to work that embraces diversity," Burke says. The Aryans' presence has made the region more sensitive than most to human rights. The Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment, now based in Seattle, started here after a bombing of a Catholic priest's home in 1986. A year later, Coeur d'Alene received the first Raoul Wallenberg Award for human rights, and in 1990, the city became Idaho's first AIJ-American City, a designation earned because of its human rights record. The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, the state's first such organization, cook on the Aryans with a fund drive that raised $35,000 for diversity programs in schools. The task force solicited pledges for every minute $1 a minute, for example - that the 1998 hate parade lasted. It was over in 28 minutes. Last summer, the college organized a rally to compete with the parade and invited Kempthome co speak. "To the promoters of prejuContinued on 18A~

City hates perception of aaty that hates Continued from 17A

dice." the governor declared. "you may as well package your prejudice elsewhere because it's just not selling in Idaho." The state has among the nation's toughest hate-crime laws. "It's the odd blessing that comes from a curse," says Greg Carr, an Idaho Falls native and the philanthropist whose foundation suppores the Harvard human rights center. ''Because of these hate groups, Idahoans are repulsed, and they're standing up and showing the respect they have for human rights and human dignity." Butler didn't return phone calls, but he had a comment for The Associated Press about the new coordinator's job: "For white people to have to hire somebody like that because other people want to remain white is interesting." He added: "We ought to take that job. We could use the $50,000." In fact, many people in these parts hope Butler and his group are fading away. The Aryan leader is 82 and said to be in poor health. He is thought ro have no more than a handful of dedicated supporters. The Aryans have not applied for a parade permit for this summer. The Southern Poverty Law Center hopes to bankrupt the group by winning a lawsuit seeking damages for Victoria Keenan and her son, Jason, who allegedly were chased and shot at by Butler's security guards as they drove past his compound in July 1998. The judge in the civil suit against the Aryans has prohibited Butler from selling his 19-acre compound at Hayden Lake, his primary asset.

Merchant Carrie Hochhalter's New Age store, The Barking Frog, opened on Sherman Avenue last year shortly before a parade by hate groups. Such demonstrations take a financial toll on local businesses. â&#x20AC;˘ Âˇ w ...a

Dolezal: Hears northern Idaho referred to as a haven for Âˇcrazies.'

The trial is to begin Aug. 28. One of Butler's former guards. Buford Furrow. awaits trial in the slaying of a postal worker after a shooting spree last year at a Jewish community center in Los Angeles. But some fear that Butler's mantle is already being hoisted by two wealthy northern California businessmen intent on uniting the region's disparate hate elements.

Carl Story and R. Vincent Bertollini run a group called 11th Hour Remnant Messenger in nearby Sandpoint and have paid some of Butler's legal expenses. They also financed a mass mailing of a videotape promoting Butler's beliefs. Last year's Aryan parade drew far more reporters and protesters than white supremacists. But the city can't do much to stop what most people consider a sideshow blown out of proportion. Mayor Judy argued that the parade 1s a form of domestic terrorism and that the Aryans are trying to harm the local economy. The city's lawyers said no judge would buy that The City Council tried to relegate the parade to an outlying street next to a dump, but a judge said that violated the Aryans' freespeech rights. "We've tried everything. but there is a Constitution to uphold," says Sandi Bloem, owner of a Sherman Avenue jewelry store. "We're caught in the middle without much we can do, and nobody wants to hear our message." A paid position in City Hall and a new campaign are a start, Judy believes. ''There is a consensus: We're going to go out and take our image back."

Photos by JdrT. Crt'cn I

Âˇrman Avenue: The street running through downtown Coeur d'Alene has seen its share of unwelcome traffic - nationally publicized parades by Aryan Nations leade.r Richard Buder and his followers.

N O RTH W f s r SECTION

D Thursday, May 4, 2000 The Spokesman-Review Spokane, WashJCoeur d'Alene, Idaho

File/The Spokesman-R

The Montana Logging and Ballet Company entertains Desmond Tutu, former South African archbishop, during a show in 1990 in Helena.

. Koot:enai Cmmty Task Purce on Human Relati<ms calls on Montana Logging and Ballet Cmnpony to help spread its message By Cynthia Taggart

Staff writer

OEUR d'ALENE- Bring up human rights and everyone nods seriously. It's as lighthearted as AIDS, as funny as cancer. Still, the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations expects and wants laughs when it brings the Montana Logging and Ballet Company musical comedy troupe to North Idaho College for a benefit this Sunday. "Sometimes humor can send an incredibly powerful message," says Tony Stewart, one of the task force's leaders. And draw people who might not attend the emotional banquets, moving speeches and educational workshops the task force usually offers. "They're so much fun," says Stewart, who watched a Montana Logging and Ballet Company performance in Boise. "I laughed all the way through. Nothing is sacred with them." The task force couldn't have chosen better messengers to broaden its support base. The 25-year-old Logging and Ballet Company has caused sore cheek muscles from Maine to

Montana Logging and Ballet Co.

STAGE

Sunday, 7 p.m., in Schuler Auditorium at North Idaho College. Tickets are $12 in advance or $14 at the door; call (208) 769-7780 or 1·80o-4·CDA·TIX.

Hawaii. Its most noteworthy fan is Desmond Tutu, former archbishop of South Afrjca and a Nobel Peace Prize winner. "Meeting Tutu was transformative," says Bob FitzGerald, one of the company's four performers and its manager. "You just can't be around someone like that, be open to what be has to say and say, 'I can't do what he does.'" From its start in 1975, the company has pushed social consciousness with pratfalls, spoofs, skits and music. . FitzGeraJd and Rusty Harper whetted their tolerant teeth Continued: Co•dy troupe/08

Comedy troupe: Tutu among fans of Montana Logging and Ballet Continued from 01

as 1960s folk singers. Both worked at Rocky Mountain College in Billings when they discovered the talents of brothers Tim Holmes and Steve Garnaas-Holmes. Holmes was a promising sculptor with a body as elastic as Gumby's. Garnaas-Holmes was an accomplished composer and songwriter. The foursome hit the stage bolstered by quick wits, solid voices and a slew of college degrees. The name, Montana Logging and Ballet Company, was the bait that booked curious audiences. They poked fun at topical events of the day, building on a theme of hope. Tutu caught their act in 1987 during his appearance at a gathering in Kentucky. They wrote and

performed an anti-apartheid song for him, then helped him raise money for scholarships. When they invited him to Helena in 1990, the archbishop accepted. "We keep this relationship with him," FitzGeraJd says. ''For some reason, he likes the group." ln 25 years, they've honed and refined their performance "Anything we think people will laugh at, we do," FitzGerald saysbut haven't changed their goaJ of opening minds. "We want to start a dialogue," FitzGeraJd says. "The show is a gentle offering. The idea is that they come out saying, 'I can make a difference.' " The company limits itself to 20 performances a year. The men have families and day jobs as a minister, sculptor, government worker and marketing expert.

They will roU into Coeur d'Alene Sunday afternoon, study local news and issues and tailor their antics to fit. "I'm sure we'll talk about the state of hate, where we are in human rights efforts, encourage people,'' FitzGerald says. "We don't want to be heavy-handed. It's funny. You'll laugh." Which is just what the task force is hoping. "We want to pull in people who enjoy good entertainment, good music, a humorous approach and who might benefit from the insigh111 these people bring," says Mary Lou Reed, president of the task force's

education foundation. "We're hoping they'll broaden the discussion." D.A. Davidson & Co. is underwriting the performance. Money raised from the show will go toward grants the foundation awards to teachers in North Idaho and Eastern Washington to incorporate diversity into their curriculum.

â&#x20AC;˘

Page B7 Sunday, May 21, 2000 The Spokesman-Review Spokane, WashJCoeur d'Alene, Idaho

Questions or comments on these issues? Call managing editor Scott Sines: (509) 459-5405; Fax: (509) 459-5482

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Students from seven North Idaho high schools discuss their experiences with discrimination in their schools and their communities and how they can make a difference in stopping it.

By Ken Sands LnteracLivc editor

dulls too often chuckle at the naivete of youthful idealism. lt can be inspiring to listen to the strong, hopeful words of tomorrow's leaders. Students from seven North Idaho high schools gathered May 12 at North Idaho ColJege to talk about discrimination in their communities and schools. As part of the three-hour session, students wrote about discrimination that they've been exposed to, and what they can do to make a difference. A typical response came from Sarena Munroe, a junior at Timberlake High School in Spirit Lake, and president of the school's Tigers for Tolerance human rights club. She wrote: "l believe that my life and the way I live it has the power Lo change others' lives. I am willing to live my life in a way that upholds my beliefs so that J truly 'walk the walk' and give others an example to follow." There is much work to be done in this area on behalf of human rights, according to BJ. Johnson, president of the 1luman Equality Club at NIC. Johnson and former NJC club president Josh Buehner spent more than an hour talking with the high school students about racism, sexism and homophobia. When asked to describe their own experiences with discrimination, here's what some of the students wrote: • There was a big problem at our school with people calling other people "Jew'' and "nigger." • Certain people call me "beaner." It's happened ever since I first met them. l have learned to deal with it. • The Aryan Nations exists on 40 acres behind my house. Their rallies can always be heard and the fliers are always put in our mail. In our school, racism and sexism don' t seem like problems, but many guys are very homophobic. • There was a fight between two kids at school because one called the other the big "N" word. • One of my friends was at a gathering with some friends and just because of his skin color he was told he was worthless and someone even had the nerve to spit on him. I admire his courage and strength for speaking up against them and being able to erase the hate those people gave him. • My community does not have a high percentage of minorities, so the discrimination that I encounter is not really directed at certain people. I often hear ignorant comments generally Crom insecure freshl]'len - who repeat comments or jokes they think are funny. • The attitudes and comments that parents express around their children create an internal racism and bate towards others. • I have been blessed to have encountered only a few racist residents, but I have been exposed lo prejudices against religion and disabilities. My religion is a definite minority and the views people have about my religion are way off. • The fact that I am a minority and I excel in school means I have a hard time dealing with certain comments or jokes. • Last year, while I was on the bus, a black man was waiting at the end o( his driveway, presumably for bis children lo get off the bus. As our bus drove past, some seventh- and eighth-grade boys yelled out the window and flipped him off. I felt terrible to be on the same bus. • I think people discriminate against others in my school by putting stereotypes on them and dividing them into groups like "populars" and "non-populars." • The only black kid in the school was in my math class. A lot of the people in there like to act like they are racist so they want to make fun of him, but they don't have the guts to say really mean stuff to his face so they call him pet names that they made up.

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ere 's a quote from Luke, in the New International Version of the Bible: '·Then he (the thief on the cross) said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' Jesus answered him,· I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.·., Now, here's the New Christian-conservative political candidate version of the same passage: "Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come mto your kingdom." Jesus answered him, 'Slow down there a minute, buddy! Before I can even think of doing any favors for you. I'll need to know where you stand on a few issues. For instance, where do you stand on abortion? Do you favor higher or lower taxes? What about NAFTA and the Panama Canal treaty? Have you ever contributed money to public television? Did your children attend public or private school, or were they home-schooled? Did you listen regularly to Rush Limbaugh? By the way, what is your religious affiliation?'" The term '"Christian conservative" is one that many candidates for elected office have anointed themselves with over the past decade. The term has been used often enough that many tend to forget that "Christian'' and ·"conservative" can be, and in many cases are, mutually exclusive . By today's political standards some of the greatest

Based on all records of Christs life on Earth, its reasonable to believe that while we are lambasting people who have opinions different from ours and beating them over the head with our own good works, Jesus would be offoffering his grace to all who asked. Christians of all time were Christian liberals. A case in point is Jesus himself. The Bible is clear that Jesus went out of his way to avoid being identified with the antigovernment zealots of his day. His work was greater than making laws. When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus said, " You shall love the Lord your God witb all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. Thjs is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Note to ldaho congressional candidates: It would therefore stand to reason that one could not love his neighbor as himself at the same time he is allowing his opponent (read: neighbor) to be ridiculed in television or

• We had a homosexual guy attend out school, and everyone who has talked to me about him has "dissed" on him, when they didn't even get a chance to know him. • l hear my father and my grandpa calling black dudes "niggers." • In our school there isn't really a lot of discrimination. There are a lot of jokes, but really, no one intends to offend anyone. • I am constantly bombarded with racial jokes and insults projected toward minorities. Blacks, Jews and Hispanic people are the main focus of jokes and I feel like 1 have no support in standing up for myself. The students then were asked what they would be willing to do, as individuals, to make a difference. Here are a few of their responses: • I get chills down my back when I hear that people in my area actually discriminate against others only on skin color or beliefs. I am now planning to get a human rights group started at my school. I think it is my responsibility as a believer in human rights to stand up for minorities who can't defend themselves. Even when there is no support, even when others shoot me down. • I feel that I need to speak up and say something. And if no one wants to stand up with me, then I will do it alone. • As an individual, I am willing to reach out to minorities and become their friend and support system. Once individuals see that being with someone who is "different" is not bad and they are "normal," maybe they will come around. • I feel that r should speak up for someone not only as a human being but to shout my beliefs and let the right and brave thing be beard. • l have always made a point of telling my friends how inappropriate racist jokes are, even if it offends them. It is unacceptable to tell them around me, and I am never afraid to voice my views, regardless of how they think of me. • I feel now - especially after this conference - that I should tell others to not discriminate. • I am wilJing to help in starting a group in my own school. Also, if 1 were given the chance to speak out against discrimination, I hope r would have the knowledge to support my idea!). • Get involved and talk with others. Even though they may not agree with me, maybe they can at least know where I stand. • I am willing to stand up for what I believe in, and go out into the community and share my beliefs.

• I am willing to risk my friendship with others and my popularity to stand up for human rights. What good is awareness if it is never used to push action? I feel so strongly to stand up for our generation and keep all of the ignorant people in this world from defining who we are. • I believe it's my personal responsibility to respond to discrimination that I see at school or in my community. If I don't try to stop it, who will?

he even were to vote, he would not vote a straight party radio ads. ticket. Moreover, Jesus' greatest condemnation was almost Based on all records of Christ's life on Earth, it's wholly reserved for those who held themselves out as church leaders of the day. Church leaders who, not unlike reasonable to believe that while we are lambasting people many of the current politically charged church leaders, who have opinions different from ours and beating them condemned people for being less holy. over the head with our own good works, Jesus would be off offering his grace to all who asked. The greatest example of Christ's liberalism, when held up to today's Christian-conservative standards, is what are While Christian-conservatives protest nude dancing at commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. In the fifth State Line Village, Christ would be inside the facility chapter of Matthew, Christ said; Blessed are the poor in offering his grace to the women and men there. While spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and Christian-conservatives protest abortion in front of thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, women's clinics, Christ would be inside, offering his grace and the peacemakers. to the employees and patients. That's hardly the political rhetoric being spewed by While Legislators are in the state Capitol debating many of those who, for the sake of political gain, take on matters of great importance, Christ certainly would not be the title of Christian-conservative today. waiting in the wings, sporting a lobbyist's name tag. More likely, he would be at the mission down the street, And what about that Christian-liberal, the apostle ministering grace to Idaho's neediest. Paul? In the case of the latter-day Christian-conservative Modern-day Christian-conservative political leaders political movement, the single greatest argument by call on their followers to put on the armor of God and attack with viciousness and vitriol. However, they often Christians for separation of church and state is less to neglect to recall that the armor, as recalled by Paul in avoid one person's beliefs being imposed on another Ephesians 6, is truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, individual. Rather, the more salient argument is to faith, salvation and the spirit, which is the word of God. prevent the cheapening and degradation of the word of Those are hardly admonitions put forth by many God and Christ's sacrifice for all people, irrespective of Christian-conservatives seeking office some 2,000 years their political affiliation. after Paul penned this epistle. A case can be made that if Christ were incarnate on â&#x20AC;˘ Gordon Crow is aChristian, a conservativeand aretiring state Earth today, he would not endorse political candidates, parties or platforms. It could be further concluded that if . senator.

1'111 2

Saturday, July a. 2000

The Spokesman-Review

Community Forum Gordon Crow says more than shouting is needed to convi.nce the mass media the city ofCoeur d'Alene is notfull ofracists

North Idaho's unjust image needs to be reversed Special to Handle Extra

hanks to the extraordinary generosity of ldaho native and cyberspace millionaire Greg Carr. the city of Coeur d'Alene is about to hire a Gordon human rights specialist. Crow The person hired will do what they can to counter the juvenile antics of the Aryan Nations and the Sandpoint-based ship of fools, llth Hour Remnant Messenger. This person will attempt to obviate the efforts of these groups and reverse North Idaho's unjust racist image. For the better part of two decades, efforts to defeat this false image have been largely relegated to civic groups and community leaders screaming, "We're not racist!" Although completely accurate, such exclamations do not and will not work with the audience we need to convince. That audience is the mass media. An astute person once said "Always remember, the media covers crashes, not landings." This is sage advice for the new human rights employee to heed in developing a

winning strategy. If they are to be successful, they will need to play by the rules as defined by the people who buy the ink in 50-gallon barrels. By continuing to proclaim "We're not racist," we will accomplish nothing more than what is commonly referred to as repeating the negative - a common public relations faux pas. lnstead, the message needs to be crafted to portray the handful of shameless racists as the ones crashing and the community as making the controUed landing. And, we do have two wonderful examples of bow this is accomplished. The first example is Gov. Dirk Kempthome. Kempthome represents a new breed of Idaho politician. Everywhere he goes, in the state and around the world, he carries with him a bright picture of the Gem State. As Idaho's chief executive, his words and actions cany with them a credibility that cannot be overestimated. Kempthome's tenure as mayor of Boise, and particularly his service in the U.S. Senate, have catapulted him to a position in the national spotlight that gives Idaho a voice to be envied. He is among a new generation of leaders who are capturing national and international attention for Idaho. Shortly after taking office, the governor

produced shouts ofjoy from North Idaho when Simply put, the existing task force has been he announced that reversing Idaho's false there, done that. Although it would be image of prejudice and intolerance would head imprudent to say that the new employee will his list of priorities. not bring new, fresh and workable ideas, it would be just as imprudent to dismiss the Last month, he was named chairman of the Western Governors Association. Later this year experience of the task force. One effort created by the task force was he wiJI ascend to the presidency of the Council ingenious. The Lemons to Lemonade campaign of State Governments. Both of these was an excellent example of what needs to be organizations are at the forefront of policy replicated. In the Lemons campaign, people development in the United States. pledged to give a certain amount of money Importantly, Kempthome's leadership based on the distance the Aryans marched positions will give a voice to Idaho that will be during their bate parade. Whether it raised a heard across the nation and around the world. lot of money is secondary to the fact that the In his address last week in Coeur d'Alene to campaign was cleverly designed. With that the Association of Idaho Cities, Kempthorne campaign, the Aryans themselves ended up struck a bright tone for our efforts by sharing helping to raise the money that is being used to concrete examples of current and emerging counter their own efforts. diversity in Idaho. In his speech, he juxtaposed Most importantly, the campaign ended up stories of ethnic-minority Idahoans who are generating the type of national media exposure succeeding and flourishing with the inane antics that will be required to succeed. of the handful of racists who have soiled our North Idaho is blessed with the altruism of image. Greg Carr and the Carr Foundation. Let's Another resource for Coeur d'Alene's new make the most of this opportunity and create a human rights specialist is the incredible breadth workable plan for other states to follow when of experience possessed by the Kootenai the small numbers of lunatics relocate. County Human Rights Task Force. As the city of Coeur d'Alene develops plans and strategies for the new employee, task force advice must be â&#x20AC;˘ Gordon Crow, from Hayden, is special projects sought and heeded at virtually every turn. manager for the Panhandle Area Council.

Steelworkers begin voting on plan to end labor dispute/82 SECTION

â&#x20AC;˘

Thursday, July 13, 2000

The Spokesman-Review Spokane. Wash/Coeur d'Alene. Idaho

To contact the North Idaho office, dial (208) 765-7100, toll-free (800) 344-6718; Fax: (208) 765-7149

ans plan gathering this "Weekend No parade scheduled, but racists could stage rally In park

By BiH Mortin Staff writer

The Aryan Nations is c~ryin& its rac.ist message into the new m1llenruum with the annual "Aryan World Congress" this Friday through Sunday al its compound near Hayden Lake. No parade is scheduled in downtown Coeur d'Alene this year, but those attending the Aryan gathering c~)l1ld staie an impromptu rally Saturday 10 the city park. A similar park rally last year turned into an angry confrontation between Aryans and anti-racists. There were a number of fights, but no arrests.

No permit is required for a gathering in the park. Aryan founder Richard Butler hasn't disclosed a lineup of speakers or other plans for this year's gathering. He has scheduled a news conference Friday. Butler, 83, wasn't available on Wednesday, but tells his followers on his Web site that "you're not goin~ to want to miss thls millennium celebrauon." Vincent Bertollini, one of two Sandpoint men who head the Uth Hour Remnant Messenger, is scheduled to be among the speakers, according to one Internet newsletter. Bertollini, who now calls himself an

Human Rigll1s Commission to meet at NIC The Idaho Human Rights Commission wiJI meet Saturday at North Idaho College. Commission members will accept testimony from the public on any human rights issues or concerns in North Idaho from 9:30 to ll:30 a.m. in evangelist, invited California racist Alex Curtis to attend the Aryan gathering in

the Todd Lecture Hall. Al 1 p.m., the commission will hear a report from director Leslie Goddard, review U.S. Supreme Court decisions and discuss public comment. Pending human rights litigation will be discussed in executive session. North Idaho. "There may even be a possibility for

Aryans: Keeping a low profile Continued from 81

you to s~alc along with Louis, others and myself.' Bertollini wrote. That is an apparent reference to Louis Beam, a longtune Butler ally. Beam is a former Texas Ku Klux Klan leader and one-time Aryan Nations ambassador-atlarge. Curtis, who publishes an Internet hate newsletter, declined the invitation. "We must brealc away from the mindset of right-wing ideas of organizations and meetings," Curtis responded. He advocates the "lone wolf' approach to promoting racism. Continued: Aryans/85

Those who monitor the Aryan Nations say another parade likely wasn't planned this year because the Aryans are attempting to keep a lower profile as they ready for an Aug. 28 trial in Coeur d'Alene. The Southern Poverty Law Center, representing a North Idaho woman and her son, is suing the Aryan Nations for civil damages. The woman and her son were shot at, chased and assaulted by Aryan guards a few days before the Aryan World Congress in 1998. Their suit seeks unspecified monetary damages. Last year, the Aryans decided to motorcade to the city park for the rally there after being denied a permit to parade in downtown Coeur d'Alene. The following week, a federal judge ordered the city of Coeur d'Alene to issue a parade permit. But by then, most of Butler's followers had left the area and he was only able to muster a couple dozen marchers for his parade, which was blocked and diverted by protesters. â&#x20AC;˘ Bill Mor1in can be reached at (509) 459-5444 or by e-mail at billm@spokesman.com.

Court rejects appeal of deputy convicted of killing his wife/84 SECTION

â&#x20AC;˘

Friday, July 14, 2000

The Spokesman-Review Spokane, Wash/ Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

To contact the North Idaho office. dial (208) 765-7100, toll-free (800) 344-6718: Fax: (208) 765-7149

Police prepare for an Nations trial Members of both sides of the case have received death threats

By Angie Gaddy Staff writer

COEUR d'ALENE - Kootenai County and police officials are bolstering security for an August trial that will pit the Aryan Nations' leader against an attorney whose goal is to bankrupt the racist organization. Victoria Keenan and her son, Jason, allege in their civil lawsuit that members of the Aryan Nations fired shots at them while they were outside of the compound in July 1998. The seven-day trial, expected to garner national attention, is set to begin Aug. 28 at the Kootenai County Courthouse. Police are concerned about how many

and what types of people will attend. "We have heard that both sides are working the Internet and the media about this event," said Sheriff Rocky

Watson. "Under that medium, we don't have a clue about bow many people are going to show up." Increasing the stakes is the attention surrounding the two central figures in this case: Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler, who 1s named in the lawsuit. and Morris Dees, the Southern Poverry Law Center attorney who hopes to bankrupt Butler's group. The Keenans, who are seeking unspecified monetary damages, also are represented by Coeur d'Alene attorneys Norm Gissel and Ken Howard. Dees has argued many civil rights cases and bas been successful in securing monetary damages from racist organizations. For example, Dees won an historic

$7 million judgment against the United KI ans of America in 1987. In that case, two Klan members had been previously convicted for the lynch-

Butler

Dees

ing of a 19-year-old black man, Michael Donald. As a result of the lawsuit, the United Klans was forced to turn over its Mobile, Ala., headquarters to Donald's mother, Beulah Mae Donald. Dees, whose life bas been threatened, has his own security staff, Watson said. Police also have concerns about Butler's safety. The 82-year-old white su-

premacist leader also has received death threats. "The concern is both men," Watson said. "We in the law enforcement community can't make one party look good or bad. We've got to protect the courtroom and protect the process." The courtroom is under the jurisdiction of 1st District Judge Charles Hosack. Meetings are focusing on what agencies should patrol the courtroom's foyer, how many officers should be assigned and what police will do about the county complex outside the courthouse, he said. "It's going to be a very, very hectic time," said Kootenai County Commissioner Ron Rankin. County officials have beard national television crews will show up for the trial, which means finding parking for their trucks in an already limited parking area.

"We anticipate ir will be similar to the (Aryan Nations) parade," Rankin said. Only this time it's more than a week of coverage, rather than a single day, he said. Newly sworn-in Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Tom Cronin declined to discuss what measures his department would take. " It's just not prudent in this kind of incident to tip one's hand," he said, but added "We're going to provide a safe environment for everybody.'' TonyStewart, member of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, said his organization won't be planning any events while the trial is ongoing. "I have great respect for that branch of government. When you go into a court of law, that's for the jury and judge to decide, not for outside organizations to get involved," he said.

ires prom evacuations noftli of Ja moll/B2 SECTION

Sunday, July 16, 2000 The Spokesman-Review Spokane. Wash/Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

To contact the North Idaho office. dial (208) 765-7100, toll-free (800) 344-6718; Fax: (208) 765-7149

H uman rights action urged Commission asked to condemn resolution by Washington state's Republican Party By Zaz HolJander Staff writer

COEU R d'ALENE - The Idaho Human Righ Commission leave orth Idaho with a full plate following a first-ever public hearing in thi part of the tate. VaJerie Fast Hor e, a Coeur d'Alene tribaJ council member urged the com.mi ion to condemn the Wa hington Republican Party' June 17 re olution to abolish tribaJ government . Idaho need to make it clear that tate official do not acknowledge the re olution Fast Hor e told the commision Saturday morning. "That need to be done in ome rt of public format ' Fast Horse aid. We need to do whatever we can to undo the e type of hara ment today. Righ t here. Right now. ' Continued: Rights/BS

Jesse Tlnsley/The SpokeSman-Rev!ew

From lett, Idaho Human Rights Commissioners Hyong Park, Bill Swift, Donna McArthur and Kathy Sims, listen to public testimony on a variety of topics, including Indian sovereignity and white supremecists, during their meeting Saturday morning at North Idaho College.

Spokane, Wash./ Coeur d'Alene. Idaho

Region

Rights: Panel tables action on resolution Continued from 81

During an hourlong afternoon session, however, commission members tabled action on the resolution. Several said they didn't want to state a position without knowing more about the document. "Our governor has worked hard to establish some real good relations with the tribes," said Coeur d'Alene

resident Kathy Sims, the only North Idaho representative on the panel. "1 think we need to move carefully on that." Another commissioner, Boise resident Hyong Pak, questioned whether the panel bas authority over tribal rights issues. "I don't even know if this commission as a whole should take a position," Pak said. The Aryan World Congress taking place at the Aryan Nations compound at Hayden Lake did not intrude on the hearing. The commission's visit to Coeur d'Alene did not intentionally coin-

The subject ofthe Aryans and other North Idaho wbite supremacists came up several times on Saturday. cide with the gathering, chairman Bob Trerise said. Normally, the commission holds its quarterly meetings only in Boise due to a slim budget. " We scheduled this before we ever

knew that was happening," Trerise said. But the subject of the Aryans and other North Idaho white supremacists came up several times on Saturday. Marshall Mend, a longtime local human rights activist, said the First Amendment should not shield speech that defames a minority group. Mend, who is Jewish, was named in fliers sent to 30,000 people by the 11th Hour Remnant Messenger eacly last spring, and distributed again by the Aryan Nations more recently. He said harassing comments made

about him in the fliers constitute "group libel" that merits prosecution, as does the swastika that appeared last January on a real estate sign with Mend's picture on it. " I think they've gone over the line," Mend said. "Something needs to be done.'' Two speakers encouraged the commission to expand the scope of Idaho's hate crime law. The state's malicious harassment legislation should include sexual orientation and disabilities, said Tony Stewart, with the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. The commission's bid to expand the law last year didn't make it out of legislative committee, Trerise said. Kootenai County Prosecutor Bill Douglas asked the commission's help amending the state's so-called "pipe bomb Law" that now stymies law enforcement authorities with the "impossible burden" of proving criminal intent to use the bombs. That issue almost certainly falls outside the commission's authority, Trerise said, again recommending any decision be tabled. Commissioners directed staffers to research many of the issues brought before them Saturday, to determine the group's authority. "There was a lot of good testimony today," Pak said. "I'm just wondering where we stand."

Douglas tells commission or bomb law flaw County prosecutor speaks at human rights event By KIANTHA SHADDUCK

Staff writer COEUR d' ALENE - Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Douglas informed the visiting Idaho State Human Rights Commission Saturday of his lobbying efforts to reform an Idaho state code in the wake of recent bombings and arrests. Three businesses were damaged a week ago in the Lake City from pipe bombs within days of police arresting two men in possession of five explosive devices near Rockford Bay. The present 1997 Idaho code concerning "the unlawful possession of explosive devices" requires police and prosecutors to prove the bomb was possessed for a purpose unlawful to the code, Douglas said at the North Idaho College co-sponsored event. "This is nearly an impossible burden," he told the 10-member commission. "Unless someone confesses or there's external evidence, it's virtually impossible." For example, if police pulled over Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh and located his bomb, he could not be prosecuted for a felony under the law, unless a confession of intent was garnered, Douglas said. "Unfortunately in Idaho, a person such as McVeigh or Unabomber Ted Kazcinski could only be prosecu ted after the bomb explo ded a nd

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RIGHTS continued from A1 injured a person, or if the state could prove a conspiracy to commit an unlawful act with the device," he said. "Let's remove that part of the code." Douglas proposes the Legislature amend the law by omitting the requirement that the State must prove possession for an unlawful intent While some community residents brought up criminal court issues at the quarterly meeting, Commission President Bob Trerise said he is encouraged about the positive turn race relations has taken throughout Idaho. "It's just the handful of pe<r pie making the headlines that cause the stirs," Trerise said of the Aryan Nations. "We don't need that." Racism periodically touches the heart of Latah County, said Donna Walker, director of the Office of Minority Affairs at the University of Idaho. Walker said she receives about 15 calls a year from potential students inquiring about r ace relations in the Palouse region. "Diversity needs to be taught in grades kindergarten through 12, not just at the uni-

versity level," Walker said. "Washington has a big impact on us, with the example of the recent GOP resolution to end bibal sovereignty." Tony Stewart, board member of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, said the climate in the Inland Northwest has improved since the white supremacist-related bombings that rocked Coeur d'Alene in the 1980s. "The people here are ver y opposed to the docbine of white supremacy," Stewart said after the seven hour meeting. "Let's keep hanging on to our beliefs."

Wednesday, August 23, 2000

Page A7

From the Front Page Dees was born in 1936 in Shorter, Ala., the son of a farmer and cotton gin operator. His grandfather was in the Ku Klux Klan. In 1958, Dees worked for populist Alabama candidate George Wallace, but later changed his views and got involved in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. While attending law school, he started a direct-mail book publishing business and became a millionaire before he was 30. He sold the business for $6 million in 1969 and plunged full time into civil rights Jaw. Dees' first lawsuit against a white supremacy group was filed in 1979 against the Invisible Empire of the Knights of the KKK. Its members used bats5 ax handles and guns in a clash with civil rights marchers in Decatur, Ala. Finally, after a series of appeals, the KKK group was ordered in 1990 to pay damages, perform community service and stop white supremacy activity. Its members were ordered to attend race relations courses taught by victims of the 1979 attack. lo 1981, Dees used the courts to go after Louis Beam, who later became an ambassador for the Aryan Nations. Beam was then a member of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in Galveston, Texas. The KKK group was linked by authorities to the firebombings of fishing boats belonging to Vietnamese immigrants. A court ordered the KKK to end its intimidation tactics. In 1984, Dees sued the White Patriots Party in North Carolina, alleging it illegally obtained stolen military weapons and used military personnel to train Klan recruits. A jury ordered the White Patriots

Party disbanded, calling it an illegal with federal agents. paramilitary army. Several of its Furrow, a former Aryan security members later were convicted in a guard, awaits trial in Los Angeles on plot to assassinate Dees and blow up charges of kiJling an Asian postal his Southern Poverty Law Center. carrier and shooting up a Jewish dayIn 1987, Dees won a historic $7 care center. million judgment against the United Cochran said young neo-Nazi skinKlans of America. heads are still attracted to Butler and Two KKK members earlier were the Aryan Nations. convicted of the lynching of a 19-year"A lot of hate groups come and go, old black man, Michael Donald. but Richard Butler and the Aryan After those convictions, Dees Nations have been around for a long brought his civil suit against United while," Cochran said. "That in itself Klans. But Dees' string of successful civil suits doesn't appear to have slowed gives Butler stature within the moveButler and the Aryan Nations. ment and a reason for Morris Dees to The organization continues to be involved." print and send out literature, recruit "He's high-profile, but he's also in prisons and hold annual racist successful in taking white supremagatherings. cists to court, talcing away their Cochran said Dees has a big task luster, their thunder and their pickahead. up trucks." "Butler and the Aryan Nations have really been a thorn in the side of law enforcement and people of the • Bill Morlin can be reached at (509) Pacific Northwest for 25 years," Co459-5444 or by e-mail at chran said. billm@spokesman.com. "But no matter what's been thrown at Butler over those years, he's always suivived." Cochran said many dismiss the Aryan Nations as a small group of racist extremists. "Richard Butler may not be allpowerful by himself, but he is viewed as a godfather or patriarch in the racist movement," Cochran said. "His Aryan Nations has a reputation as a ,revolutionary, neo-Nazi group, based upon its ties with people like Robert Mathews, Randy Weaver and Buford Furrow," Cochran said. Mathews headed a terrorist group known as The Order, nine years before Weaver got involved in the deadly 1992 Ruby Ridge shootout

••

)f~/(esrt,1.~n Sunday, August 20, 2000 Page 111

Idaho Roundlable

take your trash Pathetic neo-Nazis, go and with you

As welcome as a throbbing headache, as worthless as a rotten egg and somewhat less pleasant -

Fred Glienna gets another outpouring ofhateful stupidity and wonders why us, why here?

Special 10 Roundtable

nother blast of hatred has come from North Idaho racists. This horrific mailing, aimed at Jews, comes in the form of a transcription of a speech made in July at a conference at the Aryan Fred 611enna Nations compound. There has been some stalling and confusion this time within humanist and human rights organizations that ordinarily rally swiftly and vigorously against bigotry. Because most of these attacks and publications are too dumb to demand the serious attention of intelligent people - and this latest was dumber than most - it is understandable to think that decrying every misinformed opinion is a waste of energy. But there surely is a danger in ignoring the time, money and effort spent to produce any slick, hate-filJed position. And all of them should be answered. Surely, there can never be profit by standing silent in the face of racism. Hence the confusion. This latest attack against Jews, mailed by the thousands to Kootenai County residents, lets most other minorities off the hook because these races are posited in the hate piece as being simply tools of the real enemy. Central to the beliefs of many of these bigots is the idea that the Jews are the spawn of Satan. The July mailing, from the llth Hour Remnant Messenger, suggests that the Bible claims Cain as the son of Eve and the serpent, which was the devil in disguise. A check of Catholic and Protestant

When, ifever, will it dawn on these purveyors ofhate that their message is not only falling on deafears but that when intelligent people do bother to listen, its only to upbraid and rebuke? versions of the Bible indicates that in Chapter 4 of Genesis it is clear that Cain is Eve's firstborn and Adam is his father. One chapter earlier, an angry God condemns the serpent, saying, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between her offspring and yours." Thus, it is obvious the serpent's children and Eve's children are different. No matter how you twist and turn phrases and translations, any biblical warrant for Cain being other than Adam's child crumbles to dust Dim Nazis are as ignorant about theology as they are about science. The mailing rambles on for pages, twisting and misinterpreting the Bible, garbling history, stating blatant lies and distortions, and revealing colossal ignorance. We stand at the dawn of the 21st Century. Clever researchers are turning inward, mapping the human genome, unlocking the secrets of DNA And they are turning outward, scanning the universe, discovering galaxies, finding new planets. How is it the Idaho Panhandle's luck that so many gullible misfits have

flocked here? These groups are attef!1pting to incite the easily swayed to murderous violence. Our puzzle is that we are people who are too smart to take the racists seriously and too tolerant to purge them ilJegally, albeit we are mighty sick and irritated by having these hatemongers right around tfie corner. Small surprise that from time to time, civilized, sophisticated responses to this garbage are slow incoming. I generally stay away from pouring scorn on other beliefs or trying to foist my own on anyone. This is a complicated universe of wonder and majesty, from the inner mysterfos of the molecule to the inner beauty of a Bach fugue, from the raucous celebration of the crowd in a stadium to the peaceful meditation of the scholar in a library. This world, sometimes capricious and cruel, is still a place of wonder and beauty, and it is not my place to tell anyone else how to interpret it or how to live in it. I will say, though, that fear steeped in ignorance can rob you of your joy in life. When, if ever, wilJ it dawn on these purveyors of hate that their message is not only falling on deaf ears but that when intelligent people do bother to listen, it's only to upbraid and rebuke? We have heard their messages and have found them to be unsupportable hogwash. Everyone in this country, including separatists, bas freedoms of speech and belief and assembly. We nonetheless wish these haters would leave. We want them to move on and leave us in peace. They are ruining the reputation of this beautiful part of the world and we do not want them here any longer. They are not welcome. We condemn their intolerance but we are not

intolerant ourselves. We welcome visitors and newcomers, of all races, creeds, colors, backgrounds and persuasions. We simply ask that if you are a racist or a separatist that you keep your beliefs to yourself and meet enough people and find enough facts to correct your incomprehensible view of the world. It is wrong to attempt to set Christian against Jew, black against white, gay against straight, Anglo against Asian or Hispanic. This is a place of tolerance and acceptance, and it does not wish or require discarded dogmas of bitterness to befoul our waters and poison our air. Purveyors of hatred: You are not welcome here. â&#x20AC;˘ Fred Glienna is amember of The Spokesman-Review's Board of Contributors. He lives in Coeur d'Alene where he Is active in North Idaho politics.

SECTION

Sunday, September 17, 2000 The Spokesman-Review Spokane, Wash/ Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

To contact the Nor1h Idaho office, dial (208) 765-7100, toll-free (800) 344-6718; Fax: (208) 765-71 49

Verdiet set table for lear11ing Educators exposed to new waystoteach tolerance and diversity By Jenny later taff writer

COEUR d' ALENE - Attending Saturday's Diversity in the Classroom conference was more productive for a local elementary chool teacher than tanding in front of Kootenai County s courthouse to prote t at the recent Aryan Nation trial. Thi i my way of representing the human (rights) ta k force and what they tand for,' aid Kim Yearsley a econd-grad teacher at Hayden

Lake Elementary. earsley was one of 200 educators and tudents from Idaho and Wa hington who attended the free conference at North Idaho College on Friday and Saturday. The event wa organized by the H uman Right Education Foundation and Kootenai County Task Force on Human Rela-

tion . Although planned for month , the conference occurred hortly after the recent $6.3 million verdict again t the

Aryan Nation leadership found re pon ible for an attack on two Kootenai County resident. in 199 . The jury's decision and the conference topic of raci m and diversity hit home for local educators, who learned new way to teach diversity and tolerance in their etas room . In front of Bo well Hall Auditorium, signature were co.llected a a thank-you gift to Morris Dee , the founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center who repre ented the re ident against the Aryan Nation . Though Y a ley aid her cla of 21 tud nt ha n t di cu ed the trial,

they do recognize the value of diverity. Some tudent live with their grandparent for instance, be aid. Yearsley aid he tries to develop her tudent ' individual identiti during the fir t month of chool. That could imply include a birthday a haircut or a lo t tooth be aid. "By celebrating people' identitie , we're celebrating difference " Year ley aid. Speaker from aero the country Jed wor hop and poke on i ue that included tolerance racÂˇ m and Continued: Dlverslty/87

Diversity: Topic takes extra care in classroom Continued from B1

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human rights. Omowale Akintunde, a professor teaching diversity at the University of Wyoming, applauded listeners for their reactions to the recent Aryan Nations issues. But racism also occurs less blatantly in institutions and societies. "I can tell you how it feels, but you can't see it," Akinrunde said. "The most dangerous person to me is the one who swears they're not racist. We're all racists. lt's subconsciously entrenched, and we can't escape them." Akintunde captured the attention of tbe 140-person crowd Saturday morning with stories and humor about society's handling of skin color, stereotypes and closed minds. His speech left the audience with some racial issues to think about. ''Until we start to talk about the substantive issues of race, we are going nowhere fast and it pains me," he said. Loretta Ross, director of the National Center for Human Rights in Atlanta, handed out booklets on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. ln her workshop Saturday, she challenged listeners to identify violators of human rights. "Everything unlike us is different and everything different leads to discrimination," Ross said. "Developing our own identity is a very special and precious thing." Society's basic human rights are civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. They were declared on Dec. 10, 1948, but are unknown by a majority of the population, Ross said. "The wonderful thing about human rights is we aU have the same human rights," Ross said. "Don't attack people because of their identities. Let's talk about those structures which lead to discrimination." Diversity in the classroom is a subject Yearsley said she's approaching very carefully in her Hayden Lake classroom. "I need to support other views, and I feel like I do," she said. As a classroom topic, human rights is just beginning to develop, and people are just beginning to recognize its importance, according to Ross. No one's yet written a textbook on the topic, she said. "There's so much to get done l just get excited thinking about it."

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Finding Idaho's riches Fat wallets are rare outside city limits By Betsy Z. Russell and Thomas Clouse Staff writers

COEUR d' ALENE- Lynn Converse will sacrifice economic success for the chance to watch deer and elk graze on her lawn. The 27-year-old Sandpoint mother of two said she's torn between her love of rural ldaho and the fear that her dau~ter and son won't be able to find good-paying Jobs when they grow up. ''As a parent, I want them to attend college so when they do come back to rural areas, they can find a resourceful job to support their families,'' Converse said. Life is good in rural Idaho, but rural residents are far more likely to share

Converse's nagging worry: Will their kids be able to find jobs in the communities they've long called home? A poll conducted for The Idaho Spokesman-Review and other news organizations found 62 percent of rural residents are concerned about their children's economic future, while only 46 percent of urban Idahoans shared that worry. It's emblematic of the split between Idaho's booming cities and the other Idaho - the smaJJ towns whose residents want to live in the landscape's simple grandeur, but wonder how long they'll be able to afford it. Arolene HolmquLc;t, 41, and her husband had Continued: Country llvlng/A8

Utlle clamor far more diversily By Betsy

z. Russell

Staff write r

COEUR d'ALENE- One in four Idahoans doesn't wish for more ethnic diversity, even though Idaho is still mostly white. That's the finding of a new poll sponsored by The Idaho Spokesman-Review and other news organizations. "Well, that's very disappointing," said Marilyn Shuler, board president of the Idaho Human Rights Education Center. "I'm disheartened." A slight majority of Idahoans do want more diversity- 54 percent, according to the poll. And only a small number, 7.9 percent, are strongly opposed to the idea. Continued: D1nnlty/A8

.,. C>

Diversity: North Idaho showed strongest support College in Los Angeles, said diversity is coming to all parts of the country, whether people like it or not. ''There's good newst.but there's also disturbing news," said Tony "We are not preparing young people to be successful in the world Stewart, longtime human rights in which they will live, unless we activist and North Idaho College prepare them to deal with people professor. " It shows the work that who come from backgrounds other remains to be done.... It's a mixed than their own," he said. "It's too late message." to turn the clock back, even if one Idaho was ranked the fourthwanted to." whitest state in the nation in a recent Shuler said education efforts that U.S. Census report. are blossoming across the state However, that ranking counted should help begin to change attitudes within the next five years. EDITOR'S NOTE This weekend in Coeur d'Alene, hundreds of Statistics show Idaho Is growing fast, butthose teachers from llll1lbers mask1he quiet death of small-town economies. ldahoand The Idaho Spokesman-Review has joined a statewide Washington team of newspapers and talevlslon stations to poll learned about Idahoans and learn how they rata prospertty In rural areas. diversity Today, we deliver the poll findings. It's the first sl8p In education. Next ayear-long search for ways to make adecent living In rural week in Boise, Idaho. Shuler's group This spring, we'I report in delall on the people and will break organizations fighting to l'8Vltalize communities that define ground for the Idaho's rural character. Then, we'I gather elected leaders and private citizens rebuilding rural Idaho. We'I challenge Idaho Anne them to wrilB aplan for the fulura of kin's sma8 towns. Frank Human Partners In this project are the Lewiston Morning Rights Tribune, The Idaho Stat8sman In Boise, KTVB-Bolse, Idaho Memorial, the Public Televlslon, and the Post Register of Idaho Falls. first permanent Funding for1he pol and next year's conference was memorial in the provided by the Pew Center for Civic Joumalsm. United States to the spirited young Holocaust victim, and the spark for a statewide Idaho's large and fast-growing effort to educate children about Hispanic population as white. The tolerance. Census separately tallies people of Hispanic origin - and shows that In October, business leaders will Idaho's Hispanics now make up 7.4 kick off the Idaho Inclusiveness percent of the population. Overall, Symposium at Boise State University, the percentage of Idahoans who are sponsored by a broad coalition neither Hispanic nor members of working for inclusiveness and racial minorities is 89.5 percent. diversity in the workplace. Eric Newhall, a professor of And the Idaho Association of American studies at Occidental Cities is just beginning a five-year Continued from A1

The sloly behind the stoly

effort to promote human rights across the state. That effort is already gearing up, with the mayor of Burley planning a human rights conference in that small southern Idaho city in November. The poll results showed stronger support for diversity in northern and southwestern Idaho, and less support in the eastern and southeastern regions of the state. In fact, though the regional differences weren't large, North Idaho had the strongest support for more diversity of any of the regions, at 58.6 percent. Eastern Idaho was the lowest, at 48.8 percent. North Idaho is home to the Aryan Nations, a small hate group that's attracted national attention and ttelped taint the state's reputation. But local residents have spoken out strongly against the neo-Nazi group's message. This month, a Kootenai County jury awarded $6.3 million in damages to two locals attacked by members of the group, a verdict that's expected to bankrupt the Aryan Nations and cost the group its Hayden Lake headquarters. The poll also showed that moreeducated respondents were more likely to favor diversity, as were younger and middle-aged respondents. Those least likely to respond favorably were people who earn less than $15,000 a year and those over age 65. Peter Rose, a professor of sociology and anthropology at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., said, "It just sounds so familiar to me, this kind of phenomenon. It's troubling, but it's not surprising. One would hope that we would be farther along." Rose, who has done extensive research on diversity issues, said he'd expect similar poll results in Vermont, which the Census ranks as

........ ,

Diversity and a divided state Urban and rural residents of Idaho have differing views on newcomers, diversity and their communities.

Changes

Dlverstty

Do you agree or disagree with Do you agree or disagree with the the following statement: "I wish following statement: "I resent the my town was more ethnically changes caused by newcomers to diverse?" the·state?" • Strongly agree Somewhat a9ree • Somewhat disagree

• Strongly disagree Don't know

ma TOTAL AGREE: 57% Margin of error : +/· 3.5 percent

11111

30%

40%

....,... TOTAL AGREE: 52%

• TOTAL AGREE: 47%

Poll of 813 adults by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research done Aug. 10"23. 2000 Staff graphic

the whitest state in the nation despite that state's more Liberal politics. Rose said the resistance to more diversity comes from the groups he terms the "once-bads and the neverbads," people who are struggling and feel threatened by newcomers. "My own research says people who saw themselves as middle class, fairly secure, were much more amenable to all kinds of changes in communities, including greater ethnic diversity," Rose said. "People who are insecure don't want anything to make them more insecure." The poll also asked Idahoans whether they resent changes caused by newcomers to the state. The results were nearly identical to the diversity question, with 42.4 percent saying they're resentful. Said Newhall, "American history is

filled with examples in which a willingness to incorporate new ideas, new traditions bas led to strength and national health." " It saddens me to see how many Americans are afraid of change," he said. "We did not attain the positiqn that we enjoy internationally because our ancestors feared change. Our ancestors adapted, welcomed change, and I think we should learn from their example." Both education and exposure to people from other cultures are key to overcoming resistance to increasing diversity, Rose said. "It's the people who somewhat disagree, not the people who strongly disagree, who are the targets of opportunity for change," be said of the poll results. Children should be taught the very American notion of " many peoples,

one nation," Rose said, especially in elementary school and junior high. For both adults and children, Rose said the best solution is exposure to people who are very much like them in all other respects, but are members of a different race or religion. When people in isolated areas never encounter blacks, Hispanics, or members of other minorities, they may form their opinions about those groups from national news reports on criminals, MTV performers, or other snippets that don't seem to show people like them. "l n my experience, people who are exposed to one another at their own level do much better, they're not threatened," Rose said. Stewart and Shuler said political leaders, business leaders, and religious communities have important roles to play. "They need to reach out. They need to be seen including persons who are different in the ordinary course of what they do," Shuler said. " Mayors nee~ to appoint minority members to planning and zoning commissions, business people need to think about their hiring decisions and being inclusive in whom they employ. Faith communities need to reach out to others- some of the most segregated places in America . are church pews on Sunday mornings." Stewart, who serves on the board of the Human Rights Education Foundation in Coeur d'Alene, noted that the foundation's first big funding infusion came when Idahoans pledged money for human rights for every minute that Aryan Nations bigots marched during a downtown parade. That "Lemons to Lemonade" drive drew an outpouring of community support. When people express fear or antipathy toward increasing diversity in their community, Rose said, "I don't think they' re evil people. Very often they're ignorant people." The problem, he said: "Nobody corrects them."

Page Al

Sunday, September 17, 2000

Country living: Quality of life rates excellent Continued from A1

bad to move to the big,J;ity- Coeur d'Alene -after her husband lost his mini~ job in Osburn 10 years ago. "It's the biggest town that I would want to Live in," she said. The Lake City still provides the Holmquists the proximity for quick escapes to the mountains or endless trolling in their boat on Lake Coeur d'Alene. While Coeur d'Alene has more jobs than smaller towns, Holmquist's oldest son still had to move to Salt Lake City to find a good job. Her younger son is about to graduate from Lake City High School. "I'd rather him stay close to the area," she said. "My other son would love to move back, but there are no jobs

that pay as well as he gets paid." Economic fears in rural Idaho are welJ-fouoded. According to state statistics, rural residents make just 75 cents for every doUar their urban neighbors earn. Rural unemployment rates are higher, more rural residents Jive in poverty and business and job growth lag behind the cities' booming pace. But the poll, which queried 813 ldahoans in all regions of the state, didn't find despair among rural Idahoans. Instead, rural residents shared some of their urban neighbors' optimism. All expressed a shared sense of place - they love living in Idaho and treasure the environment and open spaces. A whopping 94 percent expect to still be here in five years. Âˇ "They want to stay, both urban and rural, by huge numbers," said Jim Weatherby, a Boise State University political scientist who helped analyze the polJ results. "For those who would move. a significant number would move for economic reasons." The economic boom that's lifting Idaho's cities is clear in the poll, with nearly 70 percent of urban residents rating the economy in their community excellent or good. But only 51 percent of rural residents agreed. "There are real problems in some of the rural areas that are dependent on agriculture or the natural resource base," Weatherby said. That translates into shrinking numbers of jobs in those communities. Dennise Ballensky, 32, of Mullan, has been looking for a job for a long time. Her husband is a miner. Still, Ballensky refuses to leave the life that Mullan

offers. Asked if she would leave MuUan for a good-paying job, she replied: "It would have to be a really good job. We can go out on a logging road and see an elk or a deer or anything. You can't beat that." Asked what they like best about living in Idaho, respondents to the poll overwhelmingly agreed: the environment, wilderness and open space: That response transcended urban-rural boundaries, with 62 percent making it their pick. Far down the List were pace of life, 15 percent, and Western values, 8 percent. Attractions like lack of crowding, sense of community, low cost of living and low crime were mentioned, but not by more than 4 percent of respondents each. "That's kind of filling in some of the blanks of what quality of life means to Idahoans," Weatherby said. " A good environment, wilderness and open space.... It's not altogether surprising; the environment has always been a

.... .....

The Spokesman-Review

major concern of Idahoans. But these numbers really stick out." Asked the biggest or most important issue facing Idaho today, 34 percent pointed to the environment, while 19 percent named economic concerns. Education topped the list of other issues at 10 percent. "Clearly the environmental concerns outweigh the economic concerns," Weatherby said. "I think that's understandable in a state where the economy is doing so well. We have the luxury to worry about the environment, operating under virtually fulJ employment." Respondents to the poll were clear- traditional timber and mining industries aren't the place to look for new jobs. Instead, 69 percent of rural residents and 73 percent of city-dwellers think the state should now focus on "attracting new or more sustainable businesses and industries." In both urban and rural areas, residents agreed on the best jobs to bring to their communities - high-

technology jobs. Forty-four percent of urban residents and 32 percent of rural residents picked high-tech as the best jobs of the future for their community, far outstripping any other line of work. Light or heavy industry came in second, and agriculture third. But the seivice sector, tourism and resource-extraction jobs like mining and timber were far down the list, with only 6 to 9 percent of re!>idents preferring them: Converse said Sandpoint has many tourism jobs in the vacation months, but it's not enough to give her hope for her children. "(Jobs) are few and far between," said Converse, whose husband seivices and instalJs heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment. "The possibilities are very Limited in Sandpoint." Nevertheless, Idahoans across the board said tourism should play a role in their community's future. Weatherby said that fits with a desire the poll showed for more diversity of jobs. Communities can't rely on just one industry any longer - the current economic crunch in towns that do bas brought that lesson home. "With diversity comes greater economic stability," Weatherby said. Perhaps surprisingly, rural residents nearly matched urban Idahoans in expressing high opinions of their local schools and health care services, including the accessibility of health care. Most people in the poll said rural areas get the short end of the stick from the state when it comes to spending for roads and schools, and that feeling was especially pronounced outside the cities. But Idahoans from throughout the state still expressed strong confidence in the state's abiUty to attract and keep businesses and jobs over the next decade. Two-thirds liacked tax breaks for businesses to help with that effort. Asked to rate the quality of life in Idaho, 92 ~rcent called it excellent or good. Strong majorities of both urban and rural residents gave the same description for recreational and cultural opportunities where they live. And few said crime is much of a problem, with that sense even stronger in the rural areas. Asked to look ahead five years, 80 percent of rural residents said the economy of their community will stay the same or get better, and 83 percent of city dwellers felt the same way. â&#x20AC;˘ " I'm surprised with those rural results," Weatherby said. "That's an optimism I didn't expect to see." â&#x20AC;˘ Betsy Z. Russell can be reached at (208) 336-2854 or by e-mail at bzrussell@rmci.net. Thomas Clouse can be reached at (208) 765-7130 or by e-mail attomc@spokesman.com.

From the Front Page

Asnapshot of Idaho

Astate divided

Though urban and rural residents of Idaho disagree on some Issues, they are in agreement on what the most important Issue is: the environment. They also agree the second most important issue is the economy. How they balance those issues, however, is up in the air.

Urban and rural residents of Idaho have differing views on their state's economy, a recent poll shows.

They also agree that rural Idaho Is not getting its fair share from the state.

Key issues

What would you say Is the biggest or most important issue facing Idaho today? '

mm Environment Economy Education Crime Intrusion Fires Taxes

Racism Other Don'I know

33% 20% 12°/o 8% 6% 3%

4% 2% 7% 5%

Equity

I Total I

36% 18% 9% 6% 5% 6% 3% 3%

34.3"/o 19.2% 10.3% 6.9% 5.7% 4.8% 3.6%

11%

9.1% 3.9%

Q"'"

It comes to Idaho state ending, is rural ing treated fairly?

•

mmml

Almost everyone likes living in Idaho

Quality of life How would you rate the Quality of life in Idaho? • Excellent or good • Fair or poor Don't know

• Yes • No Don't know

2.2%

Margin of error : +/- 3.5 percent Poll ol 813 adults by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research done Aug. 10-23, 2000

Economic conditions

57% TOTAL POSITIVE: 69%

ti§""

... mainly because of the environment. What do about you like best 11\ting in Idaho? (All residents)

All others

•

' ··

The future

How would you rate economic conditions in your community? • Excellent Good Fair 4"/o • Poor • Don'tknow 21% ..

•

84%

How concerned are you that your children will not be able to find a good paying Job in Idaho when they enter the work force?

u,. TOTAL CONCERNED: 48"/o

TOTAL POSITIVE: 51%

Poll ol 813 adults by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research done Aug. 10·23. 2000

TOTALCONCERNED: 62"k

Margin of error : +/- 3.5 percent Staff graphic

Stall graphic

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Hip kids everywhere are hopping on microscooters >

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Butler's message of hate may return to haunt him FOUR-PART SERIES

Aryan Nations • Sunday - Aglimpse inside the Aryan Nations Congress 2000. • Monday- Quiet Judge Charles

Today's report • Richard Butler, aging titan of white supremacy. Hosack braces for next week's big trial. • Wednesday -Attorney Morris Dees, archenemy of hate groups.

By Bill Morlin

Racist faces

Staff writer

his biggest legal challenge - and perhaps the loss of his compound

Richard Butler is used to nasty legal fights. The 82-year-old racist has been in court many times since he took early retirement as an aeronautical engineer and moved from California to North Idaho in 1973. The white supremacy views that he brought with him - the cornerstone of the Aryan Nations - frequently catch the attention of law enforcement and civil rights advocates. "We are facing the enemies of rhe white race," Butler said last week as he ate a patty melt and some coleslaw at a Coeur d'Alene restaurant. But bis critics say Butler's anti-Semitic, racist words Continued: Butler/A12

Fite/The Spokesman-Review

Richard BuUer, shown during an Aryan Nations parade in 1998, faces his first major civil trial next week.

Page A12

Tuesday, August 22. 2000

Butler: 'The white man is now on trial' Continued from A1

spawn violence, and the time has come to hold him accountable. Next week he'll square off with famed civil rights attorney Morris Dees in a courtroom showdown that could cost him his North Idaho compound. So far, Butler seems to have won more court battles than he's Jost. He faced the FBI in 1988 in Fort Smith, Ark., and beat charges that he was involved in plotting the overthrow of the U.S. government. He's been convicted of trespassing twice and obstructing an officer once. In a half dozen other criminal cases, Butler has either been acquitted or seen the charges dropped. He hasn't faced any serious civil suits. Next Monday, though, Butler confronts perhaps his toughest opponent in Morris Dees. Dees, of the Southern Poverty Law Center, wants to use a civil tort damages suit to bankrupt and close the doors of the Aryan Nations. "Does the First Amendment exist for the white male?" Butler asked. "That's the question at this trial." Butler is viewed nationally as a patriarch of the white supremacy movement. For three decades, he's been one of the country's most influential racists. Many "Aryan warriors" who've passed through the gates of his compound are now in prison for murders, bombings, counterfeiting and armored car robberies. He continues to attract young neoNazi skinheads and felons on parole to his pine tree studded compound. Attorney Dees will represent Vic-

toria and Jason Keenan, who were J shot at outside the compound in 1998. They are seeking unspecified civil damages from Butler, his Aryan Nations church and three Aryan security guards. Two of the guards are serving prison terms for felony convictions associated with the assault on the Keenans. The third guard is a fugitive. The plaintiffs also will seek punitive damages, and Dees thinks they have a good chance of success. After the assault, the Keenans contacted Coeur d'Alene attorney Norm Gissel, who is a co-founder of the Kootenai County Human Rights Task Force. Gissel recalled that Dees had used similar civil suits to successfully attack other hate groups. Dees agreed to get involved. " It takes some experience and background in dealing with tort cases against hate groups, and Mr. Dees and the Southern Poverty Law Center have that," said civil rights activist Bill Wassmuth. A jury of 12 Kootenai County residents will hear the suit, which Butler says is "a trumped-up case." Dees and a team of attorneys will argue that Butler's Aryan Nations compound has spawned two decades of criminals, and that Butler should bear responsibility. Butler preaches that the white race is a nation, and that nation is religion. White people are the real children of God, Butler says, and Jews are impostors. He also preaches that the Aryan Nations is under siege and at war with Jews and anti-Aryan forces. Butler concedes those points, but says he can't be responsible for what his followers do once they leave the 20-acre Aryan compound north of Hayden Lake. "When a guy comes to church and leaves, he is his own man, isn't he?" Butler said. Butler said the Aryan guards were given written and verbal instructions

â&#x20AC;˘

From the Front Page

Kristy MacOonahVThe Spokesman-Review

Aryan Nations leader Pastor Richard Butler spends a moment with his German shepherd Fritz.

that they were "on their own" once they left the Aryan compound. Milch of Butler's work "has been behind the scenes," said Dina Tanners, who co-founded the Kootenai County Human Rights Task Force in response to the Aryan Nations. "But he bas sparked so many others, I believe, who have committed crimes," said Tanners, a Jewish activist and college instructor who Lives in Spokane. The Aryan Nations compound continues to pump out racist literature that's mailed worldwide, including to various prisons. It aJso hosts the annual Aryan Congress, which attracts a shifting array of racists and anti-government types. The Aryan Nations had one of the first Internet "hate sites," carrying Butler's message worldwide. Butler said he isn't losing sleep as the trial in Coeur d'Alene nears. " I haven't even thought about it," he said when asked about the prospect of losing the suit and being

forced to turn the keys to his Hayden Lake compound over to Dees. "I will leave that up to destiny and God," he said. Butler frequently launches into diatribes against Jews and anti-Aryan whites - "race traitors who are the Jews' puppets." "The white man is now on trial," he said. "Hate laws are against him. "No hate laws can be applied to a nonwhite," Butler said. "That makes the white man a third-class citizen, in my mind." Burler said if he prevails in the forthcoming trial, he intends to bring his own suit. ''I am going to try to recover legal costs, and monetary damages for pain and suffering," he said. Butler said he worries only about legal costs associated with defending himself and the Aryan Nations. He said he is setting aside $600 of his monthly $800 Social Security check for legal costs. He is represented by attorney Edg-

The Spokesman-Review

ar Steele of Sandpoint "I think he's doing an excellent job against terrible odds," Butler said of Steele. Butler's also pleading for donations, but didn't offer an estimate of how much he's raised. "What I feel is there is a lot of support here for us,'' Butler said. "There are a lot of people who don't think we should be run out." Other white supremacists are voicing support for him, Butler said. "We have received calls from people wanting to come for the trial. I have tried to discourage them because the courtroom is only so big." Soon after moving to North Idaho, Butler made headlines in 1975 when he and his "Christian Posse Comitatus" tried to arrest a police officer in the Kootenai County Courthouse. Butler narrowly avoided arrest. In 1976, Butler and Posse Comitatus member Harold Hunt were charged with threatening a man with a pistol. Butler was acquitted. In 1980, Butler and three of his followers were convicted of trespassing at a Boise motel. The Red Lion Inn had canceled a scheduled meeting by the Aryan Nations. lo 1998, Butler was convicted of obstructing a sheriff's deputy during a pepper spray fracas outside the Aryan compound. Earlier, he was convicted of trespassing for handing out literature at a hotel in Coeur

d'Alene. Butler, who survived bypass surgery in 1987, stiJJ conducts Sunday services at his Church of Jesus Christ Christian at the compound. Typically, a couple dozen people show up. On weekdays, Butler walks from an old farmhouse, where he lives with his German shepherd, Fritz, to the tiny Aryan Nations office. He opens mail and checks with a smalJ staff of volunteers who run the office. They answer the telephone and mail Aryan literature to those requesting it. Pictures of Adolf Hitler and Bob Mathews, who left the Aryan Nations to form a terrorist group known as The Order, are on the office walls. His wife, Betty, died in 1995, and he still talks about missing her, associates say. He has two daughters, one of whom lives in Coeur d'Alene, but they do not actively support their father's racist views. He doesn't regret his leadership role in the white supremacy movement for the past three decades, Butler said. " It feels very good. I have no regrets, nope, none whatsoever. I feel privileged that I was aJJowed to embark on this course." â&#x20AC;˘ Bill Morlin can be reached at (509) 459-5444 or by e-mail at billm@spokesman.com

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Morris Dees has been using the law to fight hate groups for 30 years By ERIC FLOWERS Staff writer COEUR d' ALENE - Ten

years ago, a Portland, Ore., jury sat before Morris Dees and heard him explain how a white supremacist group whipped its members into a rage that lead to the murder of a Somalian immigrant Based on what it heard, the jury awarded $12.5 million to the family of Mulugeta Seraw. Next week, Dees will step into another courtroom, this time in Kootenai County, and ask 12 North Idaho residents to award a similar judgment to Victoria Keenan - the woman attacked two years ago by members of the Aryan Nations security force outside the white supremacists' compound north of Hayden Lake. Dees, a well-known and nationally respected civil rights trial attorney, has made a living suing hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan and now the Aryan Nations. His work in the field is considered to be a pioneering effort in the area of civil rights litigation. He has won landmark verdicts in front of the U.S. Supreme Court and boasts a prefect court record against

Wedneaday

• What's at stake?

nnan.y • Aryan History • Who is RichanU3utler? • list of violent Friday • Interviews with Tony Stewart and Bill Wassmuth • List of regional human rights accomplishments a Interview with Edgar Steele hate groups he has taken on through his Southern Poverty Law Center. Dees founded the organization almost 30 years ago in Alabama. Its mission, today as it was then, is to balance the scales of justice by acting as an advocate for the underclass. The center has grown from rather humble beginnings into an internationally recognized organization with the financial and legal clout to take on some of the most powerful and wellorganized hate groups in the country. Because of his legal battles with hate groups, Dees has been the target of death threats, harassment and character attacks. He is reviled by members of groups like the Aryan Nations. In 1983, Klan members DEES continued on AS

ANDY TEVIS/Press photo

Nationally acclaimed civil rights lawyer Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center takes a break from a recent pretrial hearing at the Kootenai County Courthouse.

DEES continued from A1 destroyed the SPLC office in an arson attack. When he arrives in North Idaho he will not be alone. In addition to a cadre of SPLC attorneys, a team of security guards will be watc.hing Dees' every move. Despite the obvious dangers, Dees remains committed to his effort to bankrupt organizations like the Aryan Nations. Those who know Dees say he is driven by a passion for justice that stems back to his days as a child in the Deep South. "I think that having been raised in Montgomery or at least in a farming community near Montgomery, and experiencing on a real daily basis the tension between blacks and whites and the treatment of the whites toward the blacks had a lasting effect," said Joe Levin, a longtime friend and cofounder of SPLC. Dees saw firsthand the legacy of slavery in a pre-desegregation South. Many blacks, notes Dees in his autobiography, "A Season for Justice," had failed to rise above the level of abject poverty, often toiling for a marginal existence as sharecroppers or tenant farmers. Despite Dees' hopes of becoming a minister or farmer - he was named State Farmer of Alabama while still a high school student by the Alabama Future Farmers of America - his father urged him to study law. . In his autobiography, Dees describes how he got his first taste of

litigation as a teen-ager. His father asked him to defend a black man working as a hired hand on his family's farm against drunk driving charges. He lost, but it sparked an interest in law and a desire to seek justice for those who might otherwise be unable to find it for themselves, Dees wrote. Those who know him say it's a passion that burns within him just as strongly today as it did then. Bill Wassmuth, a former Coeur d'Alene priest who helped to organize

the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Rights, said Dees' motivation comes from within. "It's a basic fundamental belief in the principles of our country and the principles of justice, equality and fair play," Wassmuth said. However, it was years before Dees turned his full attention to civil rights law. He made his fortu ne in the mid'60s with a publishing company that he eventually sold to Times Mirror Corp., owner of the Los Angeles Times. By 1971 he had shifted his career focus to civil rights law and founded SPLC with Levin and black activist Julian Bond. The center's purpose at the time was to file suits that would help implement the recently passed Federal Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In the years since, Dees and the center have greatly expanded their reach. The center has filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of victims of racism, prison inmates and hate crimes. In the 1980s, Dees observed the resurgence of the Klan in the South

and targeted its activities with strategic civil lawsuits. In 1987, the center won a $7 million verdict against the United Klans, a powerful arm of the Klan, following the brutal killing of a 19-year-old black man in Mobile, Ala As a result, the group was forced to turn over its pri~a~y ~sset, its headquarters, to the victim s mother. He has won other cases against the Klan in his home state and Texas where a group Klansmen harassed and attacked Vietnamese fishermen off the coast of Galveston. More recently, the center has focused its attention on anti-government militias and other white supremacist groups. The SPLC's Portland suit targeted well-known rac·i·st organizer Tom Metzger and his White Aryan Resistance. In addition to the court cases' the center has acted as a watchdog against extremist groups. Since 1981, SPLC has published Klanwatch, a magazine that tracks the groups' activities throughout the country. In 1994, the center established a Militia Task Force to monitor anti-government groups, particularly those with racist ties.

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Suit aims to hit home for supremacists By MIKE McLEAN Staff w riter COEUR d'ALENE -Backers

of a suit against Richard Butler and the Aryan Nations are hoping to strike at the heart of the Aryan Nations where other efforts have failed - by seizing the very ground that is often viewed as the home of the racist movement The basic trial strategy of the plaintiffs in the case will be to show that Butler is responsible for the actions of his security force which assaulted Victoria Keenan and her son with a car chase, gunfire and physical force on July 1, 1998.

Two Aryan Nations members are in prison on related criminal charges. They are also named in the Keenan's civil suit, which seeks Butler's property near Hayden Lake in the form of punitive damages. The trial is set to begin Monday. Morris Dees, the famed c<r founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, who is leading the Keenan's legal team, has used legal tactics to bankrupt hate groups and seize their assets on behalf of victims before. In court documents, Dees con-

tends Butler is liable for the assaults through a combination of encouraging violence, providing inadequate training and allowing the security force to violate the few existing policies. Richard Cohen, another SPLC lawyer, said in a previous court hearing that Butler demonstrated "gross negligence in the selection and supervision of the security force." One of the anticipated trial witnesses is Floyd Cochran, former "chief propagandist for the Aryan Nations." Cochran left the group he now characterizes as a gang in 1990

when members said he should kill his child because of genetic imperfections. He lives in Pennsylvania where he is now director of the Education and Vigilance Project, an anti-racist watchdog group. Cochran said Butler and Aryan Nations sympathizers plant images of violence. "I don't think, for instance, any~ne told Buford Furrow to go to Los Angeles and shoot Jewish children," he said. "But while he was living at Aryan Nations, Furrow was being taught Jews TRIAL continued on A3

THE PRESS Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2000 A3

Idaho

TRIAL

continued from A 1

were the biological descendants of Satan and that white people such as himself were Aryan warriors." Furrow, a former Aryan Nations security guard is

charged in the Aug. 11, 1999 slaying of a minority postal worker and injuring children during a shooting spree at a Jewish day-care center in Los Angeles. People with Aryan Nations ties have been linked to dozens of other violent, racist and criminal acts since 1983,

including members of the Order, a violent offshoot of the Aryan Nations which was responsible for armored car robberies and the murder of a Denver radio talk show host That group was followed a few years later by the Order Il TRIAL continued on A5

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Attorney battling Aryans is used to winning Dees has dealt crippling blows in five other civil rights cases By Bill Morlin Staff writer

Civil rights attorney Morris Dees likes to lake on racists in legal brawls. "Put them out of business - that's what we try to do," he says. Dees and his Southern Poverty Law Center haven't had a good fight since 1990, when they won a $9 million judgment in Portland against

the White Aryan Resistance and its founders. Now, Dees rolls into Coeur d'Alene on Monday for a civil trial with Richard Butler and the Aryan Nations. The man who paid his way through law school by selling chickens and watermelons will face a former aeronautical engineer who some say is America's No. 1 hatemonger. fl will be the sixth major case of itS kind brought by Dees against hate groups in various parts of the United

States. He hasn't lost such a fight yet. "Morris Dees has done more for human rights than anybody since Martin Luther King Jr.," said Coeur d'Alene civil rights activist Marshall Mend. Mend, who has been a target of Aryan violence and bigotry, was almost gleeful about the forthcoming trial. He and others in the human rights community say they hope Dees' legal ContinuedÂˇ Dees/A7

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" Put them out of business - that's what we try to do," says Morris Dees.

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strategy will deliver a financial knockout blow to the Aryan Nations. Dees will work with Coeur d'Alene attorneys Ken Howard and Norm Gissel. Gissel is a co-founder of the Kootenai County Human Rights Task Force. · The attorneys represent Victoria and Jason Keenan, who were shot at by three Aryan guards in 1998 as they drove by the Aryan Nations compound. Butler is represented by attorney Edgar Steele of Sandpoint. He's expected to argue that Butler shouldn't be held liable for the actions of bis three guards. A 12-member jury wiJl decide. Attorneys on both sides aren't talking about the pending suit. But national interest in the Dees-vs.Butler clash is growing. The case is "the Aryans' nightmare come true," says former Aryan insider Floyd Cochran. Civil rights activist Bill Wassmuth says the suit wilJ target "Aryan vigilantes who believe they are above the law." And Dees is the perfect guy to take the case, Wassmuth said. Vince Lemus, a human rights speciaJist for the city of Spokane, said, "This brings nationaJ attention to a local problem" that some people would prefer to ignore. Many people didn't comprehend the "severity of the problem of hate groups in this area until Dees decided to take on the Keenan case," Lemus said. Cochran lived at the Aryan Nations compound and was the group's spokesman for two years before he defected from the white supremacy movement in 1992 and became a human rights activist. He now heads the Education and Vigilance Network, an anti-racist information and resource center in Pennsylvania. Cochran is likely to be called as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the Coeur d'Alene trial, which is expected to last two weeks. When he lived at the Aryan compound, Cochran recalJed, Butler talked about the jury in Portland awarding $9 miJlion to the family of a black man, Mulugeta Scraw, who was beaten to death by neo-Nazi skin-

COEUR d'ALENE - A vandaJ struck the office of a Coeur d'Alene attorney who is representing a family suing the Aryan Nations. A rock was thrown through a glaM door at Norm Gissel's office at 1424 Sherman Ave., during the weekend, according to Coeur d'Alene police reports. No one was injured and there was no further damage, reports said. An employee told police she believed the damage could be related to the Aryan Nations trial, which is scheduled to begin next Monday. heads. Dees brought that lawsuit, which in some ways is similar to the one facing the Aryan Nations. The 1990 suit alleged. that the founders of White Aryan Resistance (WAR), Tom and John Metzger, were responsible for inciting the skinheads who committed the murder. . The victim's son now gets a portion of any money raised by WAR, whose operations have been largely curtailed. "I remember Butler taJking back then that he was worried that Aryan Nations was going to be next on Dees' List," Cochran said. "It's cases like the one in Portland and the one coming up that make Dees archenemy No. 1 in the white supremacy groups," Cochran said. His Southern Poverty Law Center can't stop racist acts from occurring, Dees said, but it can go after leaders of groups tied to violence. He and attorney Joseph Levin Jr. started the center in Montgomery, Ala., in 1971- a year before Butler moved to North Idaho and started a church that would become the Aryan Nations. The center's mission is to "win equal rights for poor people and minorities by taking high-impact, high-risk cases that few attorneys have resources to tackle." The center now has a staff of 55. Dees, its most visible spokesman, has been the target of assassination plots. Besides court cases, the center fi nances education about hate through its "Teaching Tolerance" program. It also publishes Intelligence Report, a magazine focusing on white supremacy and militia topics.

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Butler at heart of racist movement By MIKE McLEAN Staff w riter

HAYDEN - While it has been speculated in recent years that the Aryan Nations influence is diminishing in North Idaho, its leader. Richard Butler. is also credited for unifying white supremacists in North America. Butler first tried to bring racist factions together by holding the Pacific States National Identity Conference in 1979. The conference started small, but later became the Aryan National Congress, sometimes attracting hundreds of Aryan sympathizers and movement leaders from throughout the world. Butler continues to bold the congress every Ju1y. He discovered North Idaho in the early 1970s. In 1973, he bought a 20-acre parcel on Rimrock Road

Press file photo

BUTLER continued on A3

Richard Butler has sought to unify w hite supremacists in North America.

BUTLBI continued from A1 north of Hayden where he founded the Church of]esus Christ Christian Aryan Nations. Butler was born Feb. 23, 1918 in Bennington, Colo., to Presbyterian parents.

His family moved to Los Angeles in 1931. He was schooled in aeronautical engineering and was hired by Vultee .Aircraft, which sent him to India in 1941 to work with planes for the Indian Air Force. It was there that he developed an interest in racial pride, partly inspired by a servant who

Nation with Lost Israel." Hine came up with a "tw<r seed" interpretation of Genesis. In the theory, Eve was seduced by the serpent, resulting in Cain, who killed his brother, Able. Eve lat.er had another son, Seth, with Adam. According to the theory: · • Whites descended from Seth and became God's chosen

asked why Aryan "brethren" were fighting against each other in Europe. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Butler returned to the United States and joined the the Army Air Corps and taught hydraulics. Butler was introduced to the Christian Identity religion in the

people. Seth's descendants, who Hine called the lost tribes of Israel, migrated to Europe and eventually settled America, which is interpreted as the true promised land. • Jews are descended from Cain, the spawn of Satan. • Other races are cursed by God.

early'60s. Christian Identity teaches that white Christians are the true Israelites of the covenant and that Jews are descendants of Satan. The theory was first developed in England by Edward Hine who outlined the theory in his 1871 book, "Identification of the British

Weather/A! Vol. 94 No. 25

Trial a long time coming for adivista swastika and th..., letter9 KKK,

The incideut may have been ignOMl hatt few locll~ not read the vandalism as 8

~ i t group of local buaineee people, Jaw

COEUR d• ALENE -Ronald Reagan had just been elected president and the country was beginning to pull itself out of a decadelong economic recession when white supremacy announced its presence in . . North Idaho. Sid Rosen, a local restaurant owner, was the first hate aime victim. He arrived at his Hayden restaurant on atl .early summer morning 20 years ago t'l fiad a racist epithet scrawled in large lettet .across the face of his building. Accompan:,ing the slur was a

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Dlamiafed by many locals aa a sroup of fanatics, the Aryan Nations, led by Richard Butler,

was drawing national attention for its antisemitic message and espoused goal of creating an all-white homeland in the Pacific Northwest

ACTIVISTS contllNled on Al

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mACK continued from A1 gun-wielding skinheads, later identified as members of the Aryan Nations security force. The incident laid the groundwork for a nationally anticipated civil trial that will get under way next week in Coeur d'Alene. The Keenans may be the only ones who really know what really happened that evening of July 1, 1998. They have never shared their story in open court The two former members of the Aryan Nations who are serving prison time passed on the opportunity to challenge the state's evidence against them by pleading guilty to lesser charges. As a result, many details about the incident may yet be uncovered. The civil complaint filed by the Keenan's legal team makes no mention as to why the Keenans were parked outside the compound prior to the attack The document states only that they were stopped on a "public road near the entrance of the Aryan Nations compound." The Keenans have shed little more light on the situation other than saying they were looking for Jason Keenan's wallet According to testimony they gave in court in depositions,

Jason Keenan accidentally dropped the wallet from the car window as they passed by the compound. Jesse Warfield, former head of Aryan security, has another explanation for what they were doing outside the compound that night In a recent interview from a Boise prison, Warfield said the Keenans were actors in a larger conspiracy against the Aryans fueled by television and newspaper reports that cast the Aryans in a negative light His defense will center on attacking the Keenan's character and credibility. "The media has portrayed this as just a poor mom and a son casually out for an afternoon drive down the highway. And all of a sudden, these big mean Aryans jumped in a vehicle and chased them down. And that is not what happened," Warfield said. "I will prove in a courtroom that Mrs. Keenan and Jason Keenan are not your Sunday school-going mom and son." Jason Keenan and his mother stopped that night to harass the Aryans, said Warfield. The Keenans, however, told a different story in their court depositions. Jason Keenan testified he was unaware of the Aryan compound as he searched the dark rural road for his wallet

"While doing so, I heard the sound of metal coming together like a (gun) clip going in or what not. I looked back in the direction I had been coming from and that is when I saw the big Aryan Nations symbol," Keenan said in the court document Warfield, who was inside the compound at the time, said it was an Aryan security guard, not Jason Keenan, that was startled by the sound of a gun. He said Shane Wright heard gunshots fired from outside the walls of the compound. The shots prompted Warfield and the others to leave the compound in pursuit of the Keenans. Wright is a fugitive wanted on criminal charges stemming from the incident He is named also as a defendant in the civil suit The Keenans have said they believe the sound the Aryans heard came from the exhaust pipe on her 1977 Datsun as its engine backfired. What both the Keenans and Warfield agree on is a chase ensued on Rimrock Road. The Keenans gave a harrowing account to police of the events that followed. Victoria Keenan testified that three or four Aryans bore down on 'her in a pickup truck As the attackers scteamed for lier to pull over, Jofm Yeager,' 'a '19'yearold skinhead from California,

fired five rounds from an assault rifle. Jason Keenan said he knew he was under fire. "You could feel the bullets hitting the car and tearing the car around, like pulling on it It was like the Fourth ofJuly or whatever, like war was going on," he said. Fearing for his life, Jason Keenan said he crouched below the passenger-side dashboard. When a bullet exploded the Keenan's rear tire, the car slid into the ditch. Warfield, Yeager and Wright immediately converged on the Datsun with guns

drawn. Victoria Keenan said a shirtless man struck her with the butt of a rifle as she sat i,n the driver's seat The man, later identified as Warfield, then grabbed her by the hair and screamed at her. Another held a gun to her son's back and called him a "faggot" for crying, Victoria Keenan testified. At that point, Victoria Keenan said she began pleading for her life. "I told them we were one of them, just to leave us alone. I am just a white girl, farmer girl..And I also told them if you are going to kill me, kill me, leave my son alone," she said. After a few minutes of torment, Jason Keenan said one of

the attackers told him, "Because you are white, you're not going to die." The men then returned to their truck and sped off in the direction they had come. The Keenans sought shelter in a nearby home where they called police to report the incident The civil case will decide whether Warfield and his accomplices acted as a group of rogue

security guards in violation of standards and prac ti c enforced by Butler, or if Butler will be held respon ible for their action . Warfield ha said repeatedly that he was acting on his own that day. Whether a jury believes him could determine th e fate of Aryan Nations and il h adquarters, the group's primary a t

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"When a group like the Klan engages in the kinds of activities they have, they are liable for that and, if they lose larie sums of money, it Bill Wassmuth, a popular Coeur sends a loud message to the whole d'Alene priest, was a founding mem- country that you cannot do those ber of the Kootenai County Task things. That is just justice," said Tony Force on Human Relations, a group Stewart, a founding member of the that formed to combai Aryan Nations Task Force who teaches at North intolerance. He is one of many peo- Idaho College. ple that will be watching next week's Civil lawsuits attack the leadercivil trial against Butler's group with s hip of groups like the Aryan anticipation. Nations, which have been linked to The court case may bankrupt numerous violent acts. It's a legal Butler's group, but it will not mark the strategy that men such as Butler end of the struggle against the hate have not faced in prior criminal prosgroup, Wassmuth said in an interview ecutions. from his Washington home. "'That is important because for 20 "We've dealt with countering the years we have had Butler promoting message through the work of the the ideology that results in these Kootenai County Task Force and the kinds of criminal activities, and his Human Rights Coalition. We've been followers go to jail and he keeps enddoing that and the work will continue ing up scot-free," Wassmuth said. because, no matter what happens Over the years, Butler has sucwith this trial, the Aryan Nations cessfully defended his Aryan Nations movement and white supremacy will and its doctrine against a number of not go away," he said. legal attacks. He rebuffed an effort While the trial can't put a stop to by the federal government to send all hate groups, the lawsuit's backers him to prison on sedition charges. said it sends a message that bate He triumphed in a legal battle with organizations will be held responsi- the city of Coeur d'Alene over his ble for the members' actions. annual downtown hate parade.

ACTIVISTS continued from A 1

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He has managed to distance himself from the acts of former members like Buford 0. Furrow, who was convicted of killing a postal worker and injuring a number of others when he opened fire in a Los Angeles Jewish community center last year. Another former member, Bob Mathews, founded The Order, a violent Aryan offshoot whose members were tied to the murder of a Missouri state trooper and a Denver talk show host. Mathews died in a shootout with federal agents in 1984. While Stewart and Wassmuth are careful to say that hate groups and leaders like Butler enjoy the same free speech protection as everyone else, there are limits. "Free speech and free press stops at the shore where criminal action takes place. And all the legislation (the task force) has supported and we've supported a lot - draws that line," Stewart said. Freedom and equality are the cornerstones of democracy, said Stewart, but they must be held in balance. "Free speech can never be used as a shield to commit a criminal act, and that is where equality takes over," he said.

• • ••

Task force behind many Âˇhuman rights By MIKE McLEAN Staff writer

COEUR d'ALENE - The city of Coeur d'Alene and the

Kootenai County Task Force on Human Re lations h ave been behind many civil rights accomplish men ts s ince the white supre macis t group Aryan Nations arrived in North Idaho in 1973. The task force was formed in 1981 after a Hayden restaurant owned by Sid Rosen was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti. ln 1983, when Aryan Nations fo llower Keith Gilbert spat on

and harassed a minority child, the task force pressed for new "h ate crime" legislation that makes malicious harassment on the basis of race or religion a felony. Two people are currently being prosecuted under the law, r ecognized as one of t he strongest in the country. One, who claimed ties to the Aryan Nations, is accused of buJlyi ng a Hispanic man in Post Falls. The other is charged with threatening Indians at the Julyamish powwow. In 1987, Coeur d'Alene was the first community to receive

the Raoul Wallenberg Award. The prestigious award, which was presented by the New York City Council, also name d the task force. The council president noted the leadership of th e city of Coeur d'Alene in combating the presence of the Aryan Nations. Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat credited for saving 100,000 Jews from execution by Nazis during World War ll. He is believed to h ave died in a Russian prison after being mistaken for a spy. Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations founding

leader Bill Wassmuth received another national recognition in 1987 with the Giraffe Award "for sticking his neck out," said task force member Marshal Mend. Wassmuth was the target of a 1986 bombing attack on his home because of his outspoken views against the Aryan Nations. Coeur d'Alene was the first Idaho community to be named an All-America City. It was one of 10 cities across the country to receive the designation in 1990. More than 130 cities applied. The National Civic League cited the work of the Kootenai

County Task Force on Human Relations as one of the key reasons for the award. In 1998, Coeur d'Alene received an award from the Anti-Defamation League for events and activities to counter an Aryan Nations march through the downtown business district. T h e task force organized events aimed at focusing awareness on human rights simultaneous to the Aryan March. One such project was the "Lemons to Lemonade" campaign in which dollars were pledged for human rights pro-

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Security tight in CdA for opening of Aryan trial Police and media outnumber protesters as Jury is seated to hear landmark lawsuit By Thomas Clouse Staff writer

Toisleo KlellslraOQ/The Spokesman-Review

Victoria and Jason Keenan leave the Kootenai County Courthouse on Monday.

COEUR d'ALENE-Police paced rooftops, guarded alleyways and lurked in every shadow as a landmark trial aimed at bankrupting the Aryan Nations began Monday. That show of force carried the day as protesters and troublemakers made only cameo appearances. They were vastly outnumbered by police - and national media - as Richard Butler entered the Kootenai County Justice Building to defend his racist group from the Southern Poverty Law Center's Morris Dees. "We have a lot to do about nothing," Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Tom Cronin said as he viewed a morning

gathering of officers, media and a handful of Aryans and human Opening arguments wlH rights activists. begin today at 8:30 a.m. Dees hopes to put Butler's racist church out of business by convincing a jury Butler was responsible for a July 1998 shooting. Victoria and Jason Keenan's car was shot up by three Aryan Nations members after it had backfired near the group's compound north of Hayden Lake. Two of the Aryans. John Yaeger and Jesse Warfield, have been convicted of criminal charges in connection with the shooting. A jury was seated by 4:30 p.m. Monday. Opening arguments will start today at 8:30 a.m. The trial will proceed until 2:30 p.m. each day until there's a verdict WHAT'S N EXT

Continued: Trial scene/A6

Richard Butler arrives at the Kootenai County Courthouse on Monday. He is expected to be the first witness called by the plaintiffs' attorneys today.

Butler attorney seeks to suppress testimony Defense doesn't want Jury to hear about ex-Aryan Buford Furrow By Bill Mortin Staff writer

Richard Butler's defense attorney is expected to move today to prevent a Coeur d'Alene jury from hearing about a former Aryan Nations security guard who faces murder and assault charges in Los

Angeles. Attorney Edgar Steele doesn't want the jury in the landmark civil damages case to hear references or testimony about Buford Furrow. Furrow is accused of murdering a Filipino-American letter carrier and shootin2 uo a Jewish communitv center

Aryan trial: Butler to be first to testify Continued from A1

ity ever for a trial held in a state courtroom in Coeur d'Alene. Opening arguments are scheduled for today at 9 a.m. Butler is expected to be the first witness called by the plaintiffs' attorneys. One of the women jurors is a Filipino-American, who told the court that sheÂˇbelongs to the Spokane Filipino Association. She is the only person of color on the jury. She did not raise her hand when a large panel of prospective jurors was asked whether there was any reason they couldn't give Butler, an acknowledged racist, a fair trial. Before opening arguments today, attorneys for both sides will argue motions in Limine - legal maneuvering to prevent the opposing side from introducing certain evidence. Some of the motions are filed under seal, preventing the public from seeing the issues. One motion, court records suggest, talks about possible criminal records of the plaintiffs and the defendants. First District Judge Charles Hosack is expected to immediately rule on the motions, because they will establish guidelines for the trial.

in an assault-rifle shooting spree last August. Steele is defending Butler and his Aryan Nations in the 1998 shooting carried out by three other Aryan guards, Jesse Warfield, John Yaeger and Shane Wright. Warfield and Yaeger are serving time in prison for assault convictions associated with an assault-rifle attack on Victoria and Jason Keenan. Wright is a

The plaintiffs' attorneys want to tell the jury that the three Aryan guards who shot at the Keenans aren't the first security guards from the white supremacy compound to break the law. The Keenans are represented by Morris Dees, J. Richard Cohen and Peter Tepley, of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Coeur d'Alene attorneys Ken Howard and Norm Gissel. The plaintiffs' plan, court documents show, is to tell the jury about former Aryan security boss Eldon "Bud" Cutler and Furrow. Cutler was arrested in 1985 and convicted of federal charges associated with a contract-murder on an FBI informant in Coeur d'Alene. Furrow is charged with killing letter carrier Joseph Ileto on Aug. 10, 1999, just hours after he allegedly wounded three boys, a teenage girl and a woman at a Jewish community center near Los Angeles. The plaintiffs' attorneys should ''be precluded from commenting upon Buford Furrow or his Los Angeles shooting spree, or any prior connection he may have had with the Aryan Nations," Steele said in court papers. Steele said he also wants the judge to bar introduction of a 1995 photograph of Furrow in an Aryan guard uniform. The jury was selected Monday behind closed doors guarded by four sheriffs deputies. No members of the media or public were allowed in to the initial selection process. The judge later allowed one pool reporter, from The Associa_ted Press, and one member of the

fugitive. The Keenans, North Idaho residents at that time, were chased and attacked outside the Aryan compound and now want the jury to award them compensatory and punitive damages. An anonymous 12-member jury, composed of three men and nine women, was selected Monday amid the tightest securContinued: Arvan trlaVA&

public, Coeur d'Alene attorney Harvey Richman, into the courtroom. The national press corps, including reporters for The New York Times, the Washington Post, National Public Radio, USA Today and ABC News, were kept waiting in the hallway. TI!e AP correspondent, John Wiley, told other media representatives what he saw and heard in court. Richman, usually an outspoken defense attorney, declined comment when he left the court-

room. The Spokesman-Review on Monday filed an emergency motion protesting the judge's decision to bar the media from the jury selection process. "The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides the media with the right of access to public court proceedings," attorney Joel Hazel said in the motion. Hazel argued that in order to restrict court access, judges must first enter findings that there is "an important governmental interest served by the denial of access." Secondly, judges keeping reporters out of their courts must find that there is "no less restrictive means to meet the governmental interest." Hosack did not conduct a hearing where those findings were entered. The judge also has denied media requests to hold the trial in a larger court or provide an audio feed of the proceedings to an adjoining courtroom that was set aside for the press corps.

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Page A&

Tuesday, August 29, 2000

From the Front Page

Torsten K1ellstrand/The Spokesman-Review

Aryan Nations member Shaun Winkler accommodates the media outside the courthouse Monday. Winkler took the week off so he could display the Aryan flag in honor of Richard Butler.

located here," Rubin said. " Butler has said that the silence of the community means his acceptance. It's true." Bill Wassmuth, former head of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, said Rubin's comments are wrong. Wassmuth, who released a book this year titled "Hate is My Neighbor," disagreed with Rubin's criticism of local public officials.

Kalhy Plonka/The Spokesman-Review

Vincent Bertollini, a leader of the racist 11th Hour Remnant Messenger, talks to media assembled outside the Kootenai County courthouse on Monday. He later added: " Buford (Furrow) should have gone for the 'big guy,' " as be looked at Rubin, "not the little people." RegardJess of tbe outcome of tbe trial, the Aryan Nations will still call Nonh Idaho home. BertoLLini said. "Butler wilJ never leave this area. lf he ends up living in a wooden box under a bridge, he will stay here," Bertollini said. 'ÂˇShould (Butler) meet his demise in any way, I guarantee that someone will step in and take his place." Bertollini quickJy said the next Aryan Nations leader would not be him. "I'm not that kind of a leader," he said. " It will be one of our strong young warriors." One of those warriors caused some disturbance when he brought an Aryan Nations flag to the corner of Northwest Boulevard and Garden Avenue. Aryan Nations member Shaun Winkler, 21, and Mark Wiles of the Jewish Defense League, yelled obscenities while Wiles attempted to photograph Winkler. Winkler then went back to giving Nazi salutes to a handful of cars that honked as they sped by on Northwest Boulevard. Winkler also gave Nazi salutes to those drivers who made obscene gestures as they passed. " I' m here to give the Aryan Nations support in the trial," Winkler said. "Morris Dees is trying to take us down, but it's

going to take more than him ... I look at this (trial) as a threat to our people - the white people.,. WinkJer, who is a self-employed landscaper and lawn cutter from Hayden Lake, took the week off so he could display the Aryan flag at the trial in honor of Butler. " I have a strong sense in my gut that Morris Dees' luck will run out," Winkler said. As photographers and reporters surrounded Winkler, a Coeur d'Alene resident who was getting gas at the next-door Chevron station came over and yelJed at the media. "We've got 52,000 people in this city who don't care and wish he wasn't around here," Jim Warwick yelJed. "But one man with a Nazi flag gets all the attention." Warwick, originally of California, moved to Coeur d'Alene ll years ago to retire. "It brings Coeur d'Alene totally down," Warwick said of the attention given to the Aryans. " I've never seen anybody harassed in ll years. But today, I'm moving back to California. It burns roe up to see lhis... Rubin, who staged a counter-rally at the 1998 Aryan Nations parade, again took the opportunity to rip local officials for not doing enough to fight the Hayden Lakebased hate group. "It's not bad luck that these people

" It's easy for someone out of the area to criticize the local folks. Ir's simply inaccurate,'' Wassmuth said as he stood outside the courthouse. Wassmuth's book contains key moments of the early fight against racism in North Idaho - including the bombing of his home. "You always want more," he said, "but certainly, the Coeur d'Alene community has worked diligently for 20 years and has done everything they could possibly do." Still, Wassmutb hopes the best from the trial. "I think it is a most important case," Wassmuth said. " If successful, it will send a strong message to leaders of hate that they can be held responsible for actions of their followers. "It won't be the end of white supremacists or the Aryan Nations. But it's a piece." As jurors left the courthouse, Dees was whisked away by his personal security staff in a four-vehicle motorcade. Butler's attorney, Edgar Steele, left the courthouse alone and walked to. his car, towing three legal boxes strapped to a hand cart with a bungee cord. Bill Keenan, ex-husband of Victoria and father of Jason Keenan, said the two were "very stressed" Sunday night. "They have been waiting two years for this," said Keenan, formerly of Spokane. "They've held up well considering the pressure they are under." Keenan now Jives south of Everett, Wash., and can see the reputation the Aryan Nations gives the entire Northwest. "They've given North Idaho a black eye for way too long, and it's not deserved," said Keenan, who has owned a home in Coeur d'Alene for 26 years. "I hope the end result is that they lose their compound and leave town." â&#x20AC;˘ Thomas Clouse can be reached at (208) 765-7130 or by e-mail at tomc@spokesman.com.

Trial scene: Jew and racist trade barbs Continued from A1 As reporters from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and USA Today arrived to cover the trial, they were greeted by four Kootenai County officers atop the justice building, spying the crowd below with binoculars. Butler arrived at 8:47 a.m. in the passenger seat of an old siJver Cadillac. The car's steering system whined in defiance as the driver attempted to parallel park. After the 82-year-old Butler exited the car with the rusting roof, five Kootenai County special response unit members flanked him as he entered the courthouse. Irv Rubin, leader of the Jewish Defense League in Los Angeles, had arrived at 6:30 a.m. to find nothing but police barricades. " I expected a lot more pec;>ple," Rubin said. Rubin promised Chief Cronin that his third trip to Coeur d'Alene in as many years would include only talk. " I totally want to cooperate_ I don't want to protest or cause a disturbance. I'm just a spectator," Rubin said. " I don't want to influence a jury in any way or manner."

Kathy Plonl<afThe Spokesman-Rev

Edgar Steele, attorney for Richard Butler, leavesthe courthouse during a break.

However, Rubin later traded barbs with Vincent Bertollini, of Sandpoint, one of two leaders of the lltb Hour Remnant Messenger, which preaches white supremacy. "Morris Dees has no business coming outside of southern Alabama," Bertolliai said. " Hopefully he will be tarred and feathered and run out on a rail. ''I'd like to see much worse than that. Time will Lcll."

Bertollini - who said he is helping fund Butler's legal bill - then called Rubin "the most notorious person in the country."

Rubin replied: ''Next to you." Bertollfoi was asked if his racist mailings could inspire another Buford Furrow -who is accused of murdering a FilipinoAmerican letter carrier and shooting up a Jewish community center in a Los Angeles shooting spree in August 1999. He responded: "No more than video games."

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Blian Plonka/The Spokesman-RP.view

Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center leaves the heavily guarded Kootenai County Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon after the first day of testimony in the civil suit against the Aryan Nations.

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Two former Aryans testify that Butler was active in illegal acts

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By Bill Mortin StaCf writer

COEUR d' ALENE - A former Aryan Nations guard told a jury Tuesday that he built a firebomb with help from Richard Buller two years ago and went looking "to burn down" property owned by a Jewish activist. Another former Aryan guard testified that an SKS assault rifle used in a July 1998 attack on a woman and her son was given away as part of a cover-up Butler orchestrated after a civil suit was filed against him INSIDE and the Aryan Nations. • German neo-Nazi with Ex-Aryan guards Charles ties to Spokane arrested in W. Hardman and Scott West Virginia. Dabbs were lead-off wit• Youngsten gather to nesses in the suit brought learn how to fight hate. against the Aryan Nations Stories, AS, 82 by attorneys affiliated with the Southern Poverty Law Center. They represent Victoria and Jason Keenan, who are seeking a monetary judgment for being chased and shot at by three Aryan guards - Jesse Warfield, John Yaeger and Shane Wright. Victoria Keenan, who lives in a 12-by-15-foot cabin on 10 acres in Bonner County, wept softly as lead attorney Morris Dees described the assault. Her son, Jason, put his arm around his mother. "She is proud of her Native American heritaie, but she had to deny it that night," Dees told the Jury in an hourloog opening statement. Continued: Aryans/AS

Alyans stroll through courthouse By Thomas Clouse Staff writer

COEUR d'ALENE - Tired of getting little reaction outside, three Aryan Nations members decided to take a little stroll Tuesday afternoon through the Kootenai County Courthouse. Their exercise put several Kootenai County deputies on aJert while they guarded the courtroom. Inside, attorneys started calling witnesses in the civil trial attempting to bankrupt Richard Butler and the Aryan Nations. Jere Brower, 24, and two other unidentified Aryans walked neivously through the metal detector and then started handing out racist literature. They handed a copy to Bill Keenan, who was waiting outside the courtroom where his ex-wife, Victoria, and Continued: Scene/AS

Scene:Aryans stare down key witness Continued from A1

their son, Jason Keenan, sat in the trial. Bill Keenan took the flier and ripped it into pieces in front of the Aryans before walking over and throwing the paper away in a trash

can. One Aryan turned to the other and said: "There's no love lost there." Keenan hoped his gesture would insult the Aryans. "They have every right to be here just like I do," Keenan said. "They made a statement by hanging out. I made a statement by tearing (the flier) up." The Aryans then walked over and stared at Scott Dabbs, a witness and former Aryan security guard. Deputies surrounded Dabbs, who wore a black uniform, dark glasses and a black baseball hat that read "Security" across the top. The group of deputies moved Dabbs - a key witness against the Aryans - down the hall, but the Aryans followed. They didn't say anything to Dabbs, but whispered to each other. Eventually, the Aryans left the

courthouse and gathered outside on Garden Avenue where the number of police had dropped by half from Monday. But, the Aryan presence quadrupled from two to eight. One of those Aryans was Mike McQueeney who drove to Coeur d'Alene from Mercer, Wis., to support Butler and protest against Irv Rubin, the leader of the Jewish Defense League from Los Angeles. McQueeney said he and Rubin supporters scuffled two years ago on

a Jerry Springer show titled "Klanfrontation. " "He's one of the most hated men in America," · McQueeney said of Rubin. "I don't mean any physical harm to the guy. I just believe in different things than him." After the court adjourned for the day, Rubin yelled at Butler as his Aryan followers drove him away in a Ford diesel van that coughed smoke. "Loser! Loser! Loser!" Rubin yelled as Butler rode away.

A Coeur d'Alene officer joked about the pollution puffing out of Butler's van, which replaced the 1976 silver Cadillac that spewed fluid onto the street Monday. "I told somebody that they aren't going to bomb us, they are going to asphyxiate us," the officer quipped. • Thomas Clouse can be reached at (208) 765-7130 or by e-mail at tomc@spokesman.com.

Cola bottle that he gave Hardman for a Molotov cocktail. Hardman said he took the bottle and made the firebomb with soap and gasoline, before leaving the compound with Butler's knowledge. Hardman said he and other Aryan guards had gone on earlier surveillance outings and collected the addresses of property owned by Marshall Mend. He is a Coeur d'Alene-area Realtor and Jewish activist member of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Rights. "We were thinking about burning Marshall Mead's office down," Hardman testified. At Meod's office in Hayden, Hardman said he thought be saw security cameras. Minutes later, the car driven by another Aryan got stopped for a traffic violation. Hardman said he became nervous and abandoned the firebombing plan. Scott Dabbs, a Navy veteran, said he traveled to the Aryan Nations "to seek knowledge" in August 1998, a month after the assault on the Keenans. He was given an SKS assault rifle by Teague, and believed it was the weapon used to fire at least five bullets at the Keenans. The witness said he was in the Aryan Nations office in January 1999 when a newspaper reporter called Butler to seek a response to the filing of the Keenan suit. Butler had not been served with a copy and was surprised, Dabbs testified . "He said we had to get rid of {the gun)," Hardman said. "He said it wouJd be used as evidence against us in the trial." Dabbs said he later went with Butler to the Owl Cafe, in Hayden, where they were to give the SKS rifle to private investigator David Pe!7Y, When Perry didn't show up, they returned to the Aryan compound and gave the assault rifle to Jason "Swany'' Swanson, Dabbs testified. Swanson is a former Aryan Nations leader from Michigan, who operates BuUet Proof Tattoo on North Division in Spokane. "I have no idea what you're talking about," Swanson said Tuesday when contacted at the tattoo parlor. • Bill Mor1in can be reached at (509) 459-5444 or by e-mail at

billm@spokesman.com.

Aryans: Woman thought she

would be killed Continued from A1

"She and Jason said their goodbyes because they thought they were dead," Dees told the packed courtroom. Victoria Keenan continues to suffer from stress and anxiety associated with the attack, be said. "She cries for no reason. She has nightmares," Dees said, and the assault ''virtually destroyed relations with her husband." ln moments of intimacy, she sees "the face of Jesse Warfield, who she describes as the devil himself," Dees told the jury. Dees said the plaintiffs seek damages, but he didn't suggest a specific amount in his opening statement. Defense attorney Edgar Steele responded by asking the jurors to "set aside the emotions and feelings" generated by Dees. Steele told the jury the assault on the Keenans was "terrible and reprehensible. I join the other side in condemning it." The defense attorney said the jury will hear other witnesses describe Butler as a racist, but one who doesn't condone violence. "Misfits and malcontents have left the Aryan Nations over the years because all Butler does is talk," the defense attorney said. "He's well beyond being politically incorrect,'' Steele said, "and we're not going to deny that. "But I'm going to prove that Mr. Butler isn't responsible for these terrible things," he said. The guards weren't acting as agents fo r Butler or the Aryan Nations and, in fact, were off duty and "stinking drunk" at the time of the assault, Steele argued. Then he pointed at ex-guards Jesse Warfield and John Yaeger, acting as their own defense attorneys in the civil trial. "They did it," Steele said, raising his voice. "They went off the property. They pied guilty, they have been sentenced to prison, and they don't have a prayer of avoiding liability" in this trial, Steele said. Dees kicked off the trial not by calling Butler to testify, but by reading to the jury what the 82-year-old Aryan leader said under oath during a pre-trial deposition.

Bnan Plonka/The Spokesman-Review

KKK Grand Dragon Mike McQueeney of Wisconsin, left, greets 11th Hour Remnant Messenger Vincent Bertolllnl outside the courthouse on Tuesday.

In that deposition. Butler testified that he sends away felons unless they produce paperwork from a parole officer approving their visit to the Aryan Nations. With Butler's own words as the setup, Dees then called Hardman as the plaintiffs' first witness. Hardman told the jury he learned about the Aryan Nations while serving Georgia prison time after convictions for burglary and statutory rape. He sent the North Idaho white supremacy group $2,000 for books and literature. Once out of prison, he broke parole by leaving his electronic monitoring bracelet in Georgia while he took a Greyhound bus to the Aryan Nations compound north of Hayden

Lake. Just days after his arrival in November 1997, Hardman told Aryan chief of staff Michael Teague and Butler that be was a fugitive and a felon. Btftler told Hardman be "could stay, but not to get into trouble," the witness testified. Butler then married Hardman to a 15-year-old runaway who had accompanied him from Georgia. "We got married and we didn't get along, so three days later I put her on the bus and sent her back home," Hardman testified. He later lived at the Aryan Nations with another female runaway, Hardman said. While living there in early 1998, there was a string of vandalism, including a mattress fire in a bunkhouse and the cutting of an electrical power line. Butler beca me enraged an d blamed Jews for the vandalism,

File/The Spokesman.Review

In this 1998 photo, Charles Wilson Hardman shows a swastika tattoo. Formerly an Aryan Nations guard, Hardman was the plaintiff's first witness Tuesday.

Hardman said. The witness said he bad been entrusted with providing security at the Aryan compound and believed be had failed in that duty. "I felt that he (Butler) was the leader of the white race and the second Adolf Hitler," Hardman said. Stunned by Butler's anger, Hardman said be told him he had a gallon of gasoline. "I said, 'I'll go burn something down. All I need is a jar,' " Hardman said in recounting his conversation with Butler. Butler responded, "Well, just a minute." He went into his residence and returned with an empty Coca

Former Aryan Nations staff director Michael Teague, accused of helping the white supremacist group's leader Richard Butler concoct a coverup after security guards chased a passing car and shot at It, fires up a cigarette as he prepares to testify Wednesday in the civil suit.

Spokane. Wash./ Coeur d'Alene. Idaho

Bnan Plonka/The Spokesman-Review

Chenoa Trout is escorted Wednesday into the Kootenai County Courthouse to testify that she was a guest at the Aryan Nations compound on a night when Aryan guards broke the window of a newspaper carrier's car.

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SECT I ON

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Thursday, August 31, 2000 The Spokesman-Review Spokane, Wash/Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

To contact the North Idaho office, dial (208) 765-7100. toll-free (800) 344-6718; Fax: (208) 765-7149

Ex-aide kept shooting quiet Former Aryan staff director testifies he didn't tell police about guards involved in incident

By Bill Mortin Staff writer

COEUR d'ALENE - Former Aryan Nations staff director Michael Teague testified Wednesday that he didn't tell authorities when he found out three of his guards were involved in an unsolved shooting. Teague told a jury that he didn't kick Aryan guards John Yeager and Jesse Warfield out of the white supremacy compound for firing an assault rifle at Victoria and Jason Keenan's car near the compound. The Keenans are suing the Aryan Nations, its founder Richard Butler, and Teague for compensatory and punitive

damages for the July 1, 1998, shooting. The rules only authorize self-defense Southern Poverty Law Center attorney work and say guards are on their own if they Morris Dees, representing the Keenans, leave the compound. grilled Teague about what he did after the Under questioning from Dees, Teague shooting and after the civil suit was filed in admitted that he chased Aryan member 1999. Lotah Tanaach off the church grounds in The plaintiffs' attorneys contend Teague 1998 after he was seen spitting m his shirt and Butler concocted a cover-up, drafting pocket during a Butler white supremacy and back-dating security rules and $etting sermon. rid of an SKS assault rifle used m the But when he learned Warfield and assault. Yeager were involved in the shooting, Teague testified that he did draft the Teague said he didn't disclose the matter to security rules, but said they were written Kootenai County sheriff's detectives. before the Keenans' suit was filed in January 1999. Continued: Teague/BS

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Detective Sgt. Gerald Weidenhoff, called to testify next, said Teague professed to have no knowledge of the shooting when questioned by detectives in December 1998. After the Keenan shooting, Warfield was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant and made security chief for the Aryan Nations Congress and its 1998 parade in downtown Coeur d'Alene, Teague testified. "So, you said you kicked a man off (the Aryan compound) for spitting in his pocket but not for shooting at a car down on the road?" Dees asked. Teague acknowledged that had occurred. Yeager was rhe day's last witness for the plaintiffs, who hope the suit will bankrupt the Aryan Nations. He is scheduled to return when the trial resumes today. After the jury was sent home, 1st District Judge Charles Hosack admonished the attorneys about the pace of the trial. "We're going more slowly than we should," Hosack told Dees and Butler's attorney, Edgar Steele. Yeager and Warfield are acting as their own attorneys. Shane Wright, the third guard allegedly involved in the shooting, is a fugitive. The judge said he hoped the plaintiffs would end their case by Friday. Yeager, a former skinhead who lived in Spokane, fled the Aryan compound after the parade, and eventually was arrested in California. He confessed to the crime and is serving prison time. Now he says he was so drunk that he can't recall his involvement in the shooting, but remembers bragging about it later to other skinheads and Aryans. Dees asked Yeager if he was making up the drunkenness excuse to protect Butler and the Aryan Nations in the civil su it. Yeager said no. Dees then asked Yeager if he's still a follower and admirer of Butler's. "No, naw, not anymore," Yeager responded. " If Mr. Butler told you to jump, would you do that?" Dees asked. Then Dees produced a six-page letter Yeager wrote to Butler shortly after Yeager's arrest in California. Dees told Yeager ro read a few sentences. "J love you," Yeager said, reading from his letter to Butler. "You have aJl my respect. lf you say 'frog,' l'll jump. " Next to Christ, you are the greatest man to ever walk the face of the Earth,'' Yeager read to the jury. " I will do whatever you ask." Yeager signed the letter with SS lightning bolts, signifying Hitler's SS troops of World War n . Dees earlier caUed two witnesses in an attempt to show that there have been other instances in which Aryan

guaras have committed crimes ott the compound. Anthony Caldero, a rural newspaper carrier for The SpokesmanReview, told the jury that a window on his car was smashed out as he delivered a newspaper at the Aryan headquarters on April 30, 1998. Caldero, a contract employee driving his own car, was driving down Rimrock Road about 2:30 a.m., shoving newspapers into paper boxes along the road. " I heard ·stop,' then a loud bang," Caldero said in describing the experience. He said he saw no one and wasn't sure whether it was a rock or a bullet that broke the car window. "Did you ever present a bill to the Aryan Nations?" defense attorney Edgar Steele asked Caldero. The witness said he didn't. "I had not seen anybody, so I didn't have a case for that reason." But, following Caldero to the stand, witness Chenoa Trout told the jury she was with a group of skinheads, including Yeager, who were hiding at the Aryan Nations entrance that night. When a car approached, swerving, they thought it was acting suspiciously and didn't know it was the newspaper carrier, Trout told the jury. "John called out, 'halt,' or 'stop,' then he threw a rock at the window and it smashed out," Trout testified. Trout said she and her boyffiend left the Aryan Nations after another confrontation a few days later. "We were accused of putting soap in peanut butter cookies and trying to kill everybody up there," Trout said. Teague told the jury that he was a Hammersk.in - a type of neo-Nazi skinhead - in Arizona before moving to the Aryan Nations in October 1996. By early 1997, Teague testified, he was promoted to staff leader by Butler and took charge of day-to-day operations. He re-wrote the Aryan Nations handbook, Teague told the jury. The handbook. introduced as evidence, describes the Aryan Nations as a "disciplined, coordinated, monolithic hierarchy with all authority emanating from leader-pastor Richard Butler." One issue of the Aryan newsletter, Calling Our Nation, referred to Butler as "der Fuhrer." Dees asked Teague about that. Teague said that title was used by C.W. Nelson, who edited one edition of the newsletter before leaving. Butler then asked that he no longer be called "der Fuhrer." • Bill Morlln can be reached at (509) 459-5444 or by e-mail at billm@spokesman.com.

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Keenan ·1awyers seek 81Omillion Aryan trial jury will continue to deliberate today By MIKE McLEAN Staff writer

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COEUR d' ALEN E - Ten million dollars is not enough mon ey to return Victoria and Jason Keenan full control of their lives. But such a hefty jury award would make a loud statement to any hate group that might consider coming to North Idaho, said Ken Howard during final statements in a seven-day persona l injury trial that could bankrupt Richard Butler and his Aryan Nations. The jury of nfoe women and three men will resume deliberations today. Jurors received the case at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and broke for the evening about 2 1/2 hours later. The Keenans were accosted by Aryan Nations security guards who chased and shot at their car, forced it off the road and physically assaulted the victims near the Aryan Nations grounds north of Hayden Lake on July 1, 1998. They are seeking at least $10 million in pun itive d amages which cou ld bankrupt Aryan Nations and its whi te supremacist leade r Richard

Butler and send an "unwelcome" message to other hate groups. Howard is a hometown lawyer work ing with Montgomery, Ala., lawyers Morris Dees and Richard Cohen of the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of the Keenans. They contend the Keenans are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder because of the attack. Howard told the jury that PTSD is a chemical disorder that burns brain cells. "It's like being branded," he said. Money can't cure PT'SD. "But, like or or not, money talks in this country," Howard told the jury. "It is your duty to speak out on behalf of our community. It can't be a whisper. lt can't be just a statement. It has to be a loud shout ... that North Idaho will not tolerate violence being used in order lo promote hatred." Howard said the trial is not about Butler's rights, but the rights of the community to be free of fear. "The Keenans came this close to nol being with us today," Howard said, holding up his right hand with an inch of space between his thumb and forefinger. "One bullet came this close to their gas tank." TRIAL continued on A3

TRIAL

continued from A1

Howard said Butler has abused the.tolerance of the community. "He has abused our trust," he said. "We allowed him to be there without being disturbed." He described the Aryan Nations compound as a "home for armed felons and a portal of violence. They are not staying on the compound. They are coming after us. They are coming toward our homes." Defense attorney Edgar Steele of Sandpoint the plaintiffs didn't prove that Butler is responsible for the actions of the assailants. Steele is representing Butler, Aryan Nations its former chief of staff Michael Teague and property holder Saphire Inc. He is attempting to aim all of the blame at assailants John S. Yeager and former Aryan Nations security chief E. Jesse Warfield. Yeager and Warfield, who are serving prison sentences for the assault, are co-defendants in the lawsuit. They are representing themselves. Shane 0. Wright, another defendant in the lawsuit, is still a large. He is also wanted on crimi-

nal charges. Steele conceded h e is up against powerful litigators who know how to appeal to emotions. "My is a cold logical argument," he told the jury. 'The real issue is, 'Did Richard Butler do it?' Was it reasonably foreseeable that these people would get drunk against orders, go off the property against orders and chase people down th e road while firing weapons?" He said Yeager, Warfield and others were secretly drinking in the Aryan Nations watch tower where they knew Butler wouldn't find them the night of the attack. Alcohol is forbidden on the Aryan Nations compound. "Butler and Teague didn't get these guys drunk," Steele said. "'They didn't chase anyone down the road. They didn't pull the trigger. And they shouldn't have to pay." Steele said Yeager and Warfield weren't on security duty. "They were there because they lived there." Steele said Butler has a right to what he thinks. "He says bad things, but he doesn't burt·good people like the Keenans." Dees said Butler should read his own Bible. Dees recounted the parable of the Good Samaritan and quoted from

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in which he said, "Love your enemy." Dees doubted Yeager and Warfield were drunk duri(lg the assault "This was the gang too drunk to shoot straight," he said with indignant humor that drew occasional grins from jurors. He pointed out that Yeager fired three bullets in a grouping less than 14 inches in diameter into the rear of the Keenan's moving car from the be d of Warfield's pursuing pickup. ''If you can shoot like that and you're drunk, that's baffling to our expert," he said. He pointed to a photo of Warfield. "'This man is burned in (Victoria Keenan's) brain. She'll see his face forever." His voice wavering and eyes turning red, Dees added, "'They crushed a beautiful spirit" He suggested that the jury award the Keenans at least $10 million in punitive damages and $1.26 million in compensatory damages. Under Dees' proposed award, Butler would be responsible for(more than $8 million. "You may Uiink that~s not enough," he said. ..4 " • · Punitive damages are being requested to punish Butler and deter others from grossly negligent be havior. Compensatory

damages cover the injuries, expenses and past and future pain and suffering. "If a jury could bring her fife back, s he would ask for zero," Dees said. "We're not h ere to bargain over a human being." · Yeager said Butler and Teague had nothing to do with the assault "If I only listened to them, this never would have happened," he said. "I only hope the Keenans, Pastor Butler and Mike Teague forgive me for all of the trouble I've caused." Warfield said he still thinks the Keenans were part of a plot by the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Defense League, Kootenai County Human Rights Task Force, Southern Poverty Law Center and law enforcement agencies to cancel the Aryan Nations 100 Flag March that was he ld more than two weeks after the assault Warfield also said he and "my alleged wannabe security force," were responsible for the assault - not Butler or Aryan Nations. In a civil trial, a verdict can be reached by agreement of nine of the 12 jurors.

•

JASON HUNT/Press photo

Jason and Victoria Keenan leave the Kootenai County Courthouse Wednesday night following deliberations, which were continued until this morning.

Plaintiffs ask ,· ,_ ·,· $11.26 million ~ fromArvans rrl i '

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Case goes to jmy after closing argun;ients By Bill Mortin Staff writer

COEU R D'ALENE A 12-member jury returns today to decide whether Richard Butler and hjs Aryan Nations were "grossly negligent" and responsible for an assault carried out in 1998 by Aryan security guards. The victims of the attack near the Aryan compound, Victoria Keenan and her son, Jason, should be awarded $11.26 million in damages, their attorney Morris Dees urged the jury Wednesday. Dees, in an impassioned 90-minute closing argument, urged the jury to award the Keenans $10 million in punitive damages and $1.26 million in compensatory damages. "I think these are very reasonable sums of money," Dees told the jury panel, composed of nine women and three men. Nine of the 12 jurors must agree

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WHAT 'S NEX T The jury ls expected to resume

deliberations today.

that the "pre{'onderaoce of evidence''. - mearung more Likely than not - shows that the defendants were grossly negligent. The jurors deliberated two hours, until 8 p.m. Wednesday, before 1st District Judge Charles Hosack sent them home. "You've had a long day," the judge told the jurors in the well-guarded Kootenai County Courthouse. "You made a run at it." He instructed the panel to return at 9 a.m. today to resume deliberations. Dees argued that punitive damages are a way to punish Butler and his Aryan Nations and deter similar conduct in the future. Continued: Aryan trlaVA7

Kathy PIOl\kafTlle Spokesman-Review

Victoria Keenan enters the Kootenai County Courthouse on Wednesday to hear closing arguments In the case against Richard Butler and the Aryan Nations.

Spokane, Wash./ Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

From th

Aryan trial: Only shooters liable, says defense

Continued from A1

"This is where this jury can send a message not just to these defendan ts, but people like them throughout the United States," Dees told the jury. But defense attorney Edgar Steele said the jury shouldn't award a dime in punitive damages, and said Butler and his Aryan Nations were the victims of a "railroad job." The only ones liable for damages are guards Jesse Warfield and John Yeager, Steele told the jury. The 82-year-old Aryan leader stared straight ahead, rolling a baUpoint pen in his hand, as Dees addressed the jury, once dropping to his knee. His Southern Poverty Law Center has successfuUy brought seven similar suits in the past against other hate groups, winning mm ions. Dees started out by saying Victoria Keenan should be given $100,000 for the assault by Warfield and Yeager. She also is entitled to $100 a day since the July 1, 1998, attack, for compensatory damages totaling $176,000. Her future losses, based upon chronic post-traumatic stress from the attack, should be pegged at $770,000, for a total of $940,000, Dees said. Pro-golfer Tiger Woods gets SI million for a golf game. so Victoria Keenan certainly is entitled to $100 a day for the rest of her life for injuries she suffered, Dees said. Jason Keenan is owed $138,000 in compensatory damages for the assault and $182,500 for future suffering, Dees said. Dees said the case doesn't involve issues of free speech or freedom of religion as suggested by Steele. "You need to return a verdict that will be heard all over this nation,'' Dees urged the jury. Butler should be sent a message that "you can practice your hate, but

if#

Jesse Tinsley/TheSpokesman-Review

Richard Butler walks to his car after the case against the Aryan Nations leader went to jury Wednesday evening.

in America you don't have a right to But Steele continued on another hurt people.'' tack. "Please don't let a railroad job As he made those remarks, Dees take place" against Butler, the put his hand on Victoria's shoulder Aryan Nations and its former chief as she sat in the front row with her of staff, Michael Teague. son's arm around her. Steele represented only those deSteele responded by telling the fendants in the trial, which began jury that Dees had delivered a Aug. 28. Warfield and Yeager, both convicted of assaulting the Keenans "killer closing argument. .. " But please don't rush to judg- and currently serving prison terms, ment," he told the jury. "Every story acted as their own attorneys in the has two sides. This one is no differ- civil trial. ent." Both Warfield and Yeager told Steele said while Dees' argument the jury they alone are responsible was impassioned, "mine is primarily for their criminal conduct. a cold, logical argument." Dees said their statements were "There's no denying that the like soldiers falling on their bayonets Keenans were terrorized," Steele to protect their leader, Richard said. Then, pointing to Warfield and Butler. Yeager, he said: "They did it.'' Steele attempted to convince the Steele said if the jury decides jury that Warfield and Yeager were compensatory damages should be rogue volunteer guards who broke awarded. they shouldn't exceed Aryan rules by drinking beer and $10,000 for Victoria Keenan and leaving the compound with an SKS assault rifle, pursuing the Keenans' $6,000 for her son. He said punitive damages Âˇ car. He repeatedly referred to Warshouldn't be awarded because Butler isn't "grossly negligent" for the field as a "wing nut" whose actions acts of Warfield and Yeager. A third were regarded as "nutty'' by his guard involved in the attack, Shane fellow Aryans. Wright, is still a fugitive. Butler and Teague, he said, "They're out to bankrupt the "didn't chase the Keenans down Aryan Nations, so they have to ask Rimrock Road. They didn't pull the for big numbers," Steele said. trigger of the SKS, and they Dees jumped to his feet and shouldn't have to pay." objected, and the judge ordered Steele said the Keenans' legal Steele's remark stricken and told the team had "constructed a very imjury to ignore it. pressive house of cards" that would

e Front Page come tumbling down. "Was it reasonably foreseeable that these people would get drunk against orders, go off property against orders and use a weapon against people fleeing down the road from them?" Steele asked the jury. The defense attorney said there is a "superseding cause" for the assault on the Keenans, and that is the drinking and criminal acts of Warfield and Yeager. " If these guys hadn't been blotto, would they have used berter sense?" Steele asked. But Dees said the jury shouldn't buy the defense theory that "this is the gang that was too drunk to shoot straight." Four shots from Yeager's assault rifle were grouped together near the left rear of the old Datsun and a fifth bullet flattened its right rear tire, sending the car into a ditch. Such marksmanship from the back of a moving pickup would be difficult even for a sober shooter, Dees argued. He also attacked the defense for attempting to depict Butler as a â&#x20AC;˘ kindly old man who runs a bed and breakfast. "He runs a haven for hardened criminals . . . who have terrorized this community," Dees said. Plaintiffs attorney Ken Howard, who concluded closing arguments, said Butler and his Aryan Nations have "betrayed" the region's values and high level of tolerance. "The Aryan Nations compound is no Boys Town and he's no Father Flanagan," Howard said. The trial, he said, has exposed the Aryan Nations for the den of hate it's become. "North Idaho will not tolerate violence being used in order to promote hatred," Howard said. Victoria Keenan's life has not been her own since the attack, he said, pointing to a chart listing suggested damages. "This is not enough money." "The world knows what's going on here," Howard said. " Your verdict in this case will be a statement to the rest of the world. " It is your duty to speak out on behalf of our community," the Coeur d'Alene attorney said. " It can't be a whisper. It can't be a statement. It has to be a shout."

Friday

By MIKE McLEAN Staff writer

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COEUR d'ALENE - A jury levied the largest award in Idaho • Despite verdict, case history Thursday against white could be far from over/AS supremacist Richard Butler and • Editors' group protests his Aryan Nations organization. federal agents posing as The Kootenai County jury journalists/A5 awarded assault victims Victoria • Butler proclaims victory Keenan and her son, Jason, $6.3 in fight for a white homemillion in total damages from land Butler and thr ee former Aryan Nations figures. Lead plaintiff attorney Morris Dees said the verdict is not only a "Justice has prevailed," said victory for the Keenans, but every- Jason Keenan in his first public one who has been a victim of statement since th e personal Aryan Nations followers, including injury lawsuit was filed in January former Coeur d'Alene Priest Bill 1999. "It hasn't been an easy two Wassmuth, whose house was weeks." bombed in 1986, and slain Denver The trial began Aug. 28. radio personality Alan Berg. 'These people are my heroes," "Thi s judgment bankrupts he said, pointing to his legal team. Butler, but he was bankrupt from Victoria Keenan also credited the start because his ideas are cor- her family friends and fami ly for rupt and evil," Dees said. ''This helping her cope. group is nothing but a cult. It has "Without them, I don't think I nothing whatsoever to do with could have done this," she said. God or religion. The jury made Aryan Nations security guards that clear ... that they saw him as attacked the Keenans two years the cult leader." ago. Dees, co-found e r of the They chased the Keenans' car, Southern Poverty Law Center of shooting it and forcing it off the Montgomery, Ala., said he intends road before physically assaulting to force Butler to turn his property the victims. The jury heard eviover to the Keenans. dence that the Keenans are suffer·"We intend to take every single ing from post-traumatic stress synasset of Aryan Nations now and drome. forever," he said. "We even intend The jury found that Butler, and to take the name of Aryan Nations his former chief of staff, Michael and close that sad chapter in the R. Teague, were grossly negligent history of Idaho." in selecting, training and supervisBy taking possession of the ing security personnel. trademark, the Keenans can stop The jury determined Butler Butler from using the Aryan should pay $4.8 million in punitive Nations name again, Dees said. damages and Teague should pay . Dees said he hopes to see the $600,000. Aryan Nations compound converted to a "tolerance center." VERDICT continued on AS

JASON HUNT/Press photo

Victoria Keenan kisses the hand of Morris Dees during a press conference following t he jury's verdict awarding the Keenans a total of $6.3 million.

'Kootenai County says no more hate' By BILL BULEY

Staff write r

COEUR d' ALENE - As Mayor Steve Judy settled back in his office chair at Coeur d'Alene

City Hall Thursday evening, he couldn't help but smile. It was time to celebrate. Richard Bu tler and the Aryan Nations had just lost lhe court battle. The community.

Judy said, has won. 'Tm glad that we got this victory. People need to know that this is a beautiful place that welcomes everyone. That's the message that needs

to be out there," Judy said, adding Coeur d'Alene should also be known as the place that defeated the Aryan Nations. REACTION continued on AS

VERDICT A1

continued from

The assailants, former security c hief E. J esse Warfield and young recruit John S. Yeager, s hould pay $500,000 and $100,000 respectively in punitive damages, the jury determined. Punitive damages, rarely levied in Idaho, ate intended to punish those responsible for gross negligence and to deter others from such misconduct The jury also awarded $330,000 in compensatory damages against all of the defendants. '1'oday I'm proud to be a North Id ahoan ," said Ken Howard, plaintiff attorney from Coeur d'Alene. "I thought Richard Butler up there was not a problem if we let him be. Then I began to see the inside and what he was

trying to do to the community that we didn't see," he said in reference to trial witnesses who described plots of violence and coverups linked to the Aryan Nations. "Witnesses were not anxious to do this, particularly the Keenans who I have come to respect and who are my heroes." The jury reached the unanimous verdict about 4:30 p.m. Thursday after about nine hours of deliberation over two days. A civil verdict requires agreement of at least nine of the 12 jurors. The trial garnered international media attention and an unprecedented s how of scores of law enforcement officers in and around th e courthouse complex. 'The price this community paid for providing security for this trial, I hope, will be a good investment," Dees said.

REACTDI

continued from A1

'That's what I want people to know," he said. "Our commun ity's work on human rights stands up to anybody's. We've received award after award, we're very progressive in how we're reacted to intolerance and how we've reacted to hate." Judy also credited the Keenans for their stand. "It's been a long h aul for them and I'm glad that they've gotten the justice at t his point that I think they deserve," he said. "I think the Keenans have let it be known that hate doesn't pay in Idaho." Gov. Dirk Kempthorne issued a s tatement after the jury's verdict, saying 'This ver-

diet, by a jury of peers, represents a clear victory for the values of of Idaho. "We are law-abiding citizens who do not condone the violence and the antics of a small group of h ate-mongers," Kempthorne said. 'The handful of promoters of prejudice mig ht as well just take th eir message e lsewh ere because it is not selling in Idaho. If they are looking for new placards to display at their compound, may I suggest a sign that simply reads: For Sale. I would gladly help them find a buyer at fair market value." Community and civil rights leaders praised the jury's decision that found Butler, the Aryan Nations and its corporate entity, Saphire, Inc., responsible for the actions of security guards who assau lte d Victoria and Jason

Keenan two years ago. "What happened today here in North Idaho sent a message to white supremacists groups across the country. Th ey can be held responsible for the actions of their fo llowers," said Bill Wasmuth, founding member of the Kootenai County T ask Force for Human Rights. Wasmuth one of Coeur d'Alene's first victims targeted by the Aryan's in a 1986 bombing spree in Coeur d'Alene. Marshall Mend, local Realtor and membe r of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, believed the decision "was a long time coming." "I thi nk t he people of Kootenai County have done what needed to be done," he said. "Basically, what the jury said is no more hate. Kootenai County says no more hate."

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Jury orders Aryans

to pay damages of $6. 3 million

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COEUR D'ALENE - A jury returned a $6.3 million judgment Thursday against the Aryan Nations, its founder Richard Butler and three former members. The verdict in the civil trial means the jury believed the 82-year-old white supremacist and his organization were guilty of "gross negligence" in appointing security guards who carried out a 1998 assault on two passersINSIDE by, Victoria and Jason •Junn share Keenan. ther views on lhelrtal. The panel of three •Cllllllonlhe men and nine women Aryans clld the awarded $250,000 to verdict Victoria Keenan and ..... A11,11 $80,000 to her 21-yearold son. But the big punch came in punitive damages - just the kind of award the plaintiffs' attorneys believe will bankrupt the Aryan Nations. The jury tagged Butler with $4.8 million in punitive damages and his former chief of !>taff Michael Teague with $600,000. · Aryan guards Jesse Warfield and John Yeager were hit with $100,000 and $500,000, respectively, in punitive damages. "If it hadn't been for three of us. they would have gotten Butler for $100 million." said juror Judy Jacobson. a 45-year-old carpet layer from Spirit Lake. "They wanted to bury the whole Aryan Continued. Aryan verdlct/A10 ·

Doug Creswell, president of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, was pleased by the decision. "Hopefully, it sends a message to the Aryan Nations and to hate groups that you will be held accountable for criminal and vier lent-type behavior, that you can't recruit prisoners and the criminal element in our society and arm them," he said. "You can't preach violence and promote violence and not expect something like this is going to happen." Jonathan Coe, president and general manager of the Coeur d'Alene Area Chamber of Commerce, said the jury confirms the area's real image - that it opposes any type of hate crime. "We are opposed to intolerance of any kind and we wel-

come all people to our communi- Task Force, called the verdict ty," he said. against Butler and the Aryan Coe was not surprised at the Nations "historic." "Once again in a court of law, decision. "I think it's what I expected in a jury has linked the hate-filled the sense that Idahoans and peer speech of a white supre macist pie in this community have long leader like Richard Butler to the connected Butler with the legal violent, unlawful acts of his 'foot acts of his followers," he said. soldiers,'" Payton said. "Racists Mary Lou Reed, director of may still live in North Idaho, but the Idaho Human Rights a jury has helpe d reclaim the Education Foundation, called it a image of our home as a place "fantastic" decision that speaks where human dignity is upheld well of the community. and protected." She said she is grateful to the Mend agreed the jury's deciKeenans for their willingness to sion should present a true image go to trial and "to make the point of Idaho, not one "stained by a that that kind of behavior is few misfits and malcontents." unacceptable in North Idaho. "The people have Kootenai "That's the message the County have spoken and said, world will get and that's the right 'We're not going to take it anymessage," Reed said. more. Enough is Enough. It's Gary Payton, president of the time for the Aryan Nations to go Bonner County Human Rights somewhere else.'"

Kathy Ptonlla/The Spo

A member of the Kootenai County special response unit gives Richard Butler the news as he arrives Thursday at the Kootenai County Courthouse. " The verdict Is in, Pastor. They got six million."

Aryan leader's woes have just begun Dees wants Butler's assets, Aryan trademark ARYAN TRIAL

Jury's judgment Negligence finding: Richard Butler, Aryan Nations - 90 percent Michael Teague-10 percent Compensatory damages: Victoria Keenan awarded $250,000 Jason Keenan awarded $80,000 PunlUve damages: John Yeager ordered to pay $100,000 Jesse Warfield ordered to pay $500,000 Richard Butler ordered to pay $4,800,000 Michael Teague ordered to pay $600,000

By Bill Mortin Staff writer

The legal woes for Richard Butler just staned with Thursday's whopping $6.3 million jury award. Morris Dees wants to leave the 82-year-old Aryan Nations founder on the street, with just the clothes on his back. The co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center says he even wants to take away the trademark name "Aryan Nations'' from Butler. "We want to retire it," Dees said after the jury's verdict. Dees is expected to take legal steps immediately to seize personal property belonging to Butler and the Aryan Nations to satisfy damages awarded to plaintiffs Victoria and Jason Keenan.

Butler is personally responsible for $297,000 in compensatory damages and $4.8 million in punitive damages. To collecl, Dees and plaiot~s anoroeys Ken Howard and Norm Gissel will file legal papers laying claim to. Butler's property. lf Butler's attorney. Edgar Steele, wants to appeal the jury\ decision, he must post a bond lY:? times the amount - or about $9 million. Ultimately, a sheriffs sale may be scheduled to sell off Butler's property and possessions to satisfy the judgment. The time frame for such a sale isn't clear, but Dees made it clear after the jury's verdict that he will move quickly. The 20-acre compound and its collection of buildings, including an old farmhouse, are appraised at $200,000. Continued:

Plaintiff Victoria Keenan kisses the hand of Morris Dees at a news conference after Thursday's verdict awarding her and her son more than $6 mllllon In damages.

ButJer/A11

Page A10

Friday, September 8, 2000

Aryan verdict: Dees will move â&#x20AC;˘ to seIZC assets Continued from A1

Nations," Jacobson told The Spokesman-Review late Thursday night from her home. Five other jurors contacted by the newspaper did not want to talk about the verdict. To collect the award, civil rights attorney Morris Dees said he wiJJ move immediately to seize the Aryan compound and aJJ of Butler's assets except the clothes on his back. Dees said he will aJso take legal moves to gain ownership of the name "Aryan Nations" so he can retire it. The co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center said he wants to turn the Aryan hate compound into a school for tolerance. After deliberating nine hours over two days, the jury returned its verdict at 5 p.m. to a packed and wellguarded courtroom in the Kootenai County Justice Building. Butler arrived at the courthouse as police snipers patrolled the rooftops. After being told of the judgment by his attorney Edgar Steele, Butler walked outside, appearing somewhat stunned. "This is nothing," Butler said of the award. The man who founded the Aryan Nations two decades ago said his message of white supremacy and separatism wiJJ live on despite the jury's decision. " We have planted the seed," Butler said. "Most of North Idaho is fertile with people who don't want multiculturalism." The Aryan Nations will live on, he said, despite the jury award. " I'm still here," Butler shouted, getting into a old Pontiac LeMans. "I'll remain in business until the day I

die." Following Butler out of the courthouse was Teague, wearing a crewcut and a $5 suit he bought in a thrift shop for the trial. "They think this verdict is like a magic pill they can swallow to make the Aryan Nations go away;' Teague said. "You can shut down the Aryan Nations, but you can't stop our hearts. You can't stop our minds. The Aryan Nations will live as long as the white race is alive." But others who've fought Butler and his minions of hate were jubilant after the verdict. Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthome, visiting Moscow, praised the jury for sending a clear message that Idaho doesn't tolerate racism. "This is a significant event," the governor said. "We finally, through a court of law, could put a voice to how

we feel, and I think the jury did a greatjob. ''I think those 12 individuals spoke for hundreds of thousands of Idahoans, and I'm very proud of that jury," Kempt home said. Coeur d'Alene Mayor Steve Judy said Butler "is not a member of our community and never has been. "He may call himself an American, but he's not one of us who live in Coeur d'Alene," Judy said.

Dees and Law Center attorneys J. Richard Cohen and Peter Tepley teamed with Coeur d'Alene attorneys Ken Howard and Norm Gissel for the suit. The legal team is now Âˇexpected to move immediately to seize all of Butler's assets, including the 20-acre compound north of Hayden Lake. "We even intend to take the name 'Aryan Nations' "and retire it, Dees told a press conference after the

Spokane, Wash./ Coeur d'Alene, Idaho The Spokesman-Review

verdict. Dees said he would like to tum the compound into a tolerance center so school children can "go to the former seat of hatred and team tolerance." Steele called the jury award an attempt to end free speech. "I'll tell you, $5 million dollars of 'We don't want you here' is a pretty potent statement," Steele said. "That's what they said with this verdict: 'Take your bate out of this community.' " Dees had asked the jury for slightly more than $11 million, and admitted he was nervous when the panel didn't quickly return a verdict, stretching its decision-making over two days. But be beamed after learning he bad won his eighth straight victory over a major bate group in the United States. . "For too long the Aryan Nations compound in this county bas been a haven for violent racists," Dees said. " I hope that this jury verdict will put an end to that.'' The Keenans, he said, "didn' t bring this case for themselves alone. "They brought this case also for many, many people in this nation who've suffered from the violent racists who studied under the tutelage of Richard Butler," Dees said. He later mentioned ex-Aryans who assassinated a Jewish talk show host in Denver in 1984 and ex-Aryan guard Buford Furrow, who is accused of killing a Filipino-American postal carrier and shooting at children in a Jewish day-care center last year. Butler, Dees said, "has a right to hate, but he does not have a right to hurt people and to teach other people to hurt." "He has a right to live in this community. He has a right to live in this state." For those who might think he came to Coeur d'Alene "to bankrupt Mr. Butler because of his views, I hope they see now that was not the case," D_eessaid. "Certainly this judgment bankContinued: Aryan verdlct/A11

Aryan verdict: Award called out of line Continued from A10

rupts Mr. Butler, but he was bankrupted to start with because bis ideas were corrupt and evil," Dees said. "I hope the citizens of this community will see that this was not a case that dealt with suppression of speech or ideas. "I don't know of anywhere in this nation where free speech and free ideas and tolerance is more rampant than in the great Northwest and in the Panhandle ofldaho," Dees said. "Probably few places in this nation would have tolerated Mr. Butler as long a<;; he was tolerated here.'' Victoria Keenan didn't answer questions, but delivered a brief statement at a press conference she attended with Dees. "fd like to thank the justice system," she said. "It did prevail.'' " I'd like to thank the jury: Thank you very much for your braveness.'' A small white feather was intertwined in her braided hair. "Most of all I'd like to thank my lawyers, everyone of them," said Keenan, who is a Native American. "I'd also like to thank my family for holding us together at this time. Without them I don't think I could have done all this." Dees used the press conference to send a message to Butler, who wasn't in the courtroom when the verdict was read. "I'd like to say publicly for Mr. Butler to get the message: We consider every single asset on that compound and anywhere else ... to be the property of the plaintiffs in this case," Dees said. "We will consider it a fraudulent

transfer of assets if Mr. Butler moves one single thing from that compound other than his personal clothes.'' Steele said there are several legal

moves he can take, includjng requesting a new trial. "I'll tell you, J don't understand this result," Steele said. "[ considered this area the last bastion of free speech," but the jury's verdict means "they just don't

Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review

Richard Butler's attorney, Edgar Steele, left, listens as Butler, not pictured, spoke to the media outside the courthouse after Thursday'sverdict.

like his speech and U1ey want it gone." Steele said he wasn't "necessarily surprised" by the decision against Butler. "But lhe numbers are way out of line," Steele said of the monetary judgment. Butler "certainly doesn't have that kind of money,'' Steele said of the $4.8 million. , "This would certainly put him out

of business if he tried to pay it today," Steele said. Steele said in defending Butler, he "went up against seven lawyers." "T think [ held my own pretty well," he said. "What would I do different? I'm not sure what that would be." "I'm not going to say the jury is wrong." Steele said. "They are members of our community." The Keenans we~ injured in the assault by

Warfield and Yeager and "they deserved to be compensated," he said. However, he did attack the police presence and media outside the trial. "I think all of this hoopla - this media circus, this big name attorney, closed circuit TV - I think we would have had a different result but for all that stuff." Although he never filed a motion to move the trial, Steele argued that media attention prior to and during the trial hurt his case. "Pastor Butler was tried and lynched in the local media before and during this trial," Steele said. After seeing the verdict, Steele said maybe he should have asked to move the trial. "I talked with pastor Butler. We felt we had the best chance of a fair trial in the town that he lived. He may be a demon, but he's our demon." As his police officers took down barricades, Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Tom Cronin said "it would have been unconscionable" not to have a sizeable police presence during the trial. "The fact that nothing happened showed that we meant business and that we were not going to tolerate anything here," Cronin said. Vincent Bertollini, a selfdescribed evangelist who heads the 11th Hour Remnant Messenger, was present for the verdict, as he was throughout much of the trial. "I think the jury sent a message" with the verdict, Bertollini said. "We respect that message but we will continue to spread our message." "This isn' t over," Bertollini said. " Dees hasn't won anything. "There are still legal remedies available to Butler and Steele. Butler isÂˇ going to be on that property . .. probably forever." â&#x20AC;˘ Staff writer Betsy Russell contributed to this report.

From the Front Page

Jess Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Morris Dees smiles at Jason Keenan, who was attacked by Aryan Nations guards in 1998.

Friday, September 8, 2000

Page A11

Jurors

Butler: Steele frrst in line

sbuggled

to claim assets

with verdict

Continued from A1

Butler's personal assets include a tractor, printing equipment and a computer that hosts his Aryan Nations site on the Internet. His corporation, Saphire Inc., currently holds title to the property. Those legal papers were drafted so the property could be inherited by Butler's two daughters upon his death. Prior to the eight-day trial, Dees filed legal motions, granted by 1st District Judge Charles Hosack, that prevent Butler from transferring or otherwise disposing of any of his property. But Steele, Butler's Sandpoint attorney, later got those legal rulings amended to put himself in the first lien position. That means if the Aryan compound and its assets are sold at a sheriff's sale, the first $65,000 will go to Steele for his legal bills associated with the trial. Dees said he may urge his clients not to go after co-defendant Michael Teague, the Aryan Nations former chief of staff. "I feel sorry for Michael Teague," Dees said. Teague supports himself and his wife and two children working as a roofer in Sandpoint. "My clients are not heartless and neither are we."

o 2000 The Spokesman-Review

By Angie Gaddy and Jenny Slater Staff writers

COEUR d'ALENE - Jurors took tense cigarette breaks, slammed doors and sometimes walked out of the jury room as they argued the fate of North Idaho's racist Aryan Nations. Two Kootenai County jurors interviewed late Thursday said there was no easy agreement on whether Butler was liable for the actions of his security guards, or what damages he should pay. "There were a , lot of holes in the We were e~idence ?n _both puttinu sides," said Juror b Greg V a n together a Cleave, a l 2 6 - ye a r - o I d puzz e Coeur d'Alene without all resident. " We . ,, were putting to- thepieces. gether a puzzle without all the Greg Van Cleave, pieces." juror The S p okesmanReview contacted seven jurors, and two agreed to be interviewed. Jurors ranged in age from 30 to 60, and all were white except a FHipinoAmerican woman. Occupations included a waitress, a bank employee, a construction worker, and a retired sheriffs deputy who once was called to the Aryan NaLions compound in Hayden Lake.

Van Cleave, an unemployed computer technician, said the group was not predisposed to bankrupting the Aryan Nations. "We're not trying to hurt an 82-year old man," he said, referring to Butler. But another juror, Judy Jacobson of Spirit Lake, strongly disagreed. Jacobson said she and two other women were the only ones holding the jury back from awarding a much larger damage claim. "They wanted to get the Aryan Nations out of the country," said Jacobson, a 45-year-old carpet layer. "(But) I'm not going to force this guy out of bis property and his home, just because you don't believe in his beliefs." However, when all 12 jurors were polled in the courtroom by the judge, all said they agreed that Butler was liable, grossly negligent and deserved the damage claim of $6.3 million. Jacobson said she and two other jurors initially thought $1 million in damages would have been enough. But the majority of jurors wanted to see Butler k.icked out of the state. Countered Van Cleave, "Truthfully, none of us had decided until we went into that room. We made a decision we can live with."

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Butler "Will ask for ne\V trial By Bill Mortin Staff writer

But Aryan Nations leader says he can't raise money for appeal bond

Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler said Saturday be will seek a new trial in the hope of reversing a $6.3 million jury verdict. His attorney, Edgar Steele, is expected to ask 1st District Judge Charles Hosack, who presided over the nineday trial, to grant a new trial. Steele must make that request by Sept. 18. But if a new trial isn't granted in the next few weeks, Butler said he doesn't have the money necessary for an appeal bond. ''There's no way we can appeal," Butler said, explaining that he doesn't have the $960,000 - or

10 percent - to obtain the estimated $9 million appeal bond required by Idaho law. Butler said he doesn't intend to ask two wealthy, retired businessmen in Sandpoint for help in raising the appeal bond Vince Bertollini, of the 11th Hour Remnant Messenger, said the money needed for the appeal bond "would merely be pocket change," but they have other plans afoot to help Butler. Bertollini didn't elaborate, but did pay a personal visit Saturday to &tier at the Aryan compound. Speaking at a press conference in the Aryan church he built, Butler sounded resigned to losing his 20 acres and its buildings as the result of Thursday's jury verdict. " I'll leave the property," Butler said in response Continued: Butler/A17

'Lone wolves' line up to cany on Butler's wol1< underground By Bill Mortin Staff writer

If Richard Butler is finally knocked off America's bate stage and his Aryan Nations compound shuts down, what's next? Will blue-shirted Aryan guards be a thing of the past? Will racists opt to exchange ideas on the Internet instead of at annual gatherings and cross-burnings on a 20-acre compound in North Idaho? And who will emerge as key national hate leaders as Continued: MovementlA16

Page A16

Sunday. September 10. 2000

Movement: Internet emerges as powerful tool of hatemongers Continued from A1

Brlilll Plool.i'l"& ~ .",111-/levl,

Aryan Nations supporter Debra Maggiore watches Richard Buller walk out of his church after a press conference Saturday.

Buller lives ou1 1he twilight of his life with a S6.3 million legal headache? faperts say the legal blow dealt to Butler by a jury last week in Coeur d'Alene will further strengthen the ·'leaderless resistance" movement. The philosophy urges "lone wolves" to act independently on their racist beliefs and avoid being detected by law enforcement agents. So hatemongers go underground instead of doing stiff-arm salutes at a neo-Nazi compound. Butler could become 1heir newest martyr. The experts also say his waning leadership role could be supen.eded by William Pierce of the National Alliance in West Virginia. The World Church of the Creator, headed by Matt Hale of Illinois, also is a re-energized hate group. Hale is talking about moving to Montana, where his atheist-ideology group holds annual meetings and burns swastikas. Also emerging are Internet hate guru Alex Curtis of San Diego, Posse Comitalus leader August Kreis of Pennsylvania and two wealthy North Idaho retired businessmen. Vincent Bertollini and Carl Story, who head up the IJth Hour Remnant Me~senger. based in Sandpoint, began backing Butler ancJ the Aryan Nations ideology in 1998 with masc; mailings. Bertollini said last week "there ·s more to come." The 11th Hour Remnant doesn't have a meeting place or even a member,;hip roster. Story and Bertollini merely disseminate religious propaganda, hoping to convince others that white people are the true children of God. Jonn Lunsford, a researcher with the Northwe~t Coalition for I luman Dignity, said the verdict against Butler "unfortunately will not put hate out of business:· "There are nearly a dozen other groups in the Inland Northwest that walk hand-in-hand with Butler's message of hatred,·· he said. ''Across the country, some of 1he most violent racists are creating strategies that do not require compounds in the woods," Lunsford said. The so-called "lone wolves" do not join organizations, but instead surf the Internet for information and interaction with 01herwhite supremacists "They have seen hO\\ groups like Tom Metzgcrs White Aryan Resistance (WAR) and nmo,. Butler\ Aryan Nations have been torn down, so many of them are going underground," Lunsford said. The leaderless resistance concept has hecn evident for yean.. One of its fin.I proponents was

From the Front Page Louis Beam, Butler's longtime confidant and former Aryan Nations ambassador. Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, Olympics bombing suspect Eric Robert Rudolph and ex-Aryan guard Buford Furrow, who is accused of murder and assault-rifle attacks in Los Angeles last year, are among the more notable recent examples of leaderless resistance. The concept also was advanced by Pierce, who has attended Aryan World Congress gatherings at Butler's compound. Pierce's work of fiction, "The Turner Diaries," in the early L980s inspired several of Butler's followers to form a terrorist group known as The Order. Imprisoned members of The Order and its founder, the late Robert Mathews of Metaline Falls, Wash., are glorified and idolized by many in the racist movement. Skinhead groups who don't buy into God or religion, as packaged by Butler's Christian Identity message, look ''Across the to forms of racist paga nism. Their role country, some of models are Order the most violent members and their acts of terrorism. racists are creating ''The Aryan Nations has been declining in strategies that do importance over the not require last several years as bad guys are compounds in the these moving away from the Âˇcentral compound' woods." mentality," said Leonard Zeskind, an exJonn Lunsford pert on the topic. Nonhwest Coalition for "This jury verdict Human Dignity further enforces that trend," he said. Pierce, who once taught physics at Oregon State University, has a 400-acre compound near Hillsboro, W.Va., in the Allegheny Mountains. The soft-spoken 66-year-old broadened his standing in the racist movement last year by buying Resistance Records, the world's largest neo-Nazi music label. Resistance carries 250 different titles from skinhead bands around the world. Last month, Resistance Records and another hate-music distributor donated money from mailorder CD saJes to Butler's legal defense fund. Butler isn' t saying how much money he got. Pierce is well-fin anced and has been able to position himself "as a man capable of bringing up the next generation of batcmongers," said Brian Goldberg of the Anti-Defamation League. "The National Alliance is poised to be the most dangerous organization in the country," Goldberg said.

Goldberg and other experts who track hate groups also point to Butler's new alliance with August "Chip" Kreis Ill of Ulysses, Pa. Kreis is the Webmaster for the Aryan Nations' Internet site. "I think August Kreis of Pennsylvania is attempting to become the new leader," said former Aryan Floyd Cochran, who is now a human rights activist. But he also predicts increased visibility by the two Sandpoint men who are the 11th Hour Remnant. " If they succeed in becoming leaders, it's only because they have the money," Cochran said. "I believe that in the end, you won't find many structured organizations with guards and uniforms and guns," Cochran said. Because of the successful suit against the Aryan Nations, similar military-style hate groups "will be concerned about being sued," Cochran said. Devin Burghart, of the Center for New Community in Chicago, said the verdict against the Aryan Natiuns "will be a major setback to the already faltering white supremacy group." "With their numbers and significance with the movement already in decline, the group's base of operations will now likely shift from the Northwest to the Northeast," to Kreis' Posse Comitatus headquarters in Potter County, Pa., Burghart said. "Given the specifics of the lawsuit, the group may be forced to adopt a slightly different organization name," the hate group researcher said. Morris Dees, whose Southern Poverty Law Center was behind the civil damages suit against Butler, said after the verdict that he wants to lay claim to the name "Aryan Nations" and retire it. "Ultimately, those committed to this particular brand of bigotry will continue to preach the gospel of bate according to the Aryan Nations," Burghart said. The possible departure of the Aryan Nations headquarters from North Idaho "does not spell the end for organized bigotry in the region, unfortunately," he said. "Other white supremacist groups in the area, like the 11th Hour Remnant and America's Promise Ministries in Sandpoint, can easily step into the vacuum left by the departure of the Aryan compound," Burghart said. America's P.romise, led by pastor David Barley, will host a three-day Christian Identity conference next weekend at its church in Sandpoint. Other racist groups aJready are jockeying for leadership, Burghart said. "The one thing the Aryan Nations still has that can't be taken away is the group's status as a subcultural icon," Burghart said. Aryan Nations, he said, achieved that status within the hate movement because it spawned the men who became members of The Order. "As long as The Order Lives as the model for Continued: Movement/A17

Movement: Pushing . message

to mamstream Continued from A16

successful racist terror, then the Aryan Nations myth will survive," he said. The judgment Dees got against the Aryans serves as another reminder to bate groups not to form official organizations that can be sued. "Other groups that tacitly support violence have learned Crom past court cases just how far they can push their rhetoric and their legal actions,'' Burghart said. The largest portion of the extremist movement 1s opting to push their message to the mamstream, he said. "Fights around the Confederate flag, immigration, affirmative action and other issues point to white nationalism as a contending ideology in the United States." Burghart said. Lunsford, of the Northwest Coalition, agreed. "While violence has often been the trademark of white supremacists, now a new movement of white nationalism is moving awar from the cartridge box in favor o the ballot box,'' he said. Instead of yelling "wbjte power," these white nationalists hope to mainstream their hate by talking about ''white rights" being infringed upon by immigrants from Third World countries or the "New World , Order.'' "Some American white nationalists have tried to steal the apparatus of the Reform Party for their own purposes," Lunsford said. Zeskind, who received a MacArthur Fellowship and is writing a book on hate in America, also sees batemongers moving toward politics. "The best brains in the movement have been moving for some time toward finding ways into the mainstream and away from groups Like Butler's," he said.

He referred to Chris Temple, who bas been a speaker at the Aryan Nations. Temple, one of Butler's witnesses who wasn't called at the trial, is co-editor of a newspaper for the Council of Conservative Citizens. "They're atternptini to find a political expression for thls movement of white nationalism," Zeskind said. lo California, hate group expert Brian Levin said there are other suits pending agai nst Hale's World Church of the Creator and a neoNazi skinhead group called Hammers.kin Nation. There is an overall trend toward leaderless resistance, Levin said, and that will be strengthened by the successful judgment against the Aryan Nations. Individuals, acting alone to carrying out their racist beliefs, are harder to fi nd or sue. The Internet provides much of the benefits that groups P.reviously offered, without the liability, said Levin, an attorney who heads the Center on Hate and Extremism at California State University in San Beroadino. "Today's extremists are focusing on encouraging violence, as opposed to orchestrating it," Levin said. ''Hate groups are learning that the abstract advocacy of violence is protected, but not the planning or commission of it.'' â&#x20AC;˘ Bill Marlin can be reached at (509) 459-5444 or by e-mail at billm@spokesman.com.

Butler: 'Won't be run out of N orth Idaho' Continued from A1 to a question about losing his property to satisfy a portion of the jury's

award. " I'm not go ing to leave like a whipped dog," he said. " Period." He's making "other plans," and said they likely will include a continuing Aryan Nations presence on the Internet. Butler said he will never give up the name Aryan Nations. Victoria and Jason Keenan successfully sued Butler and the Aryan Nations. To collect the judgment they won, their attorneys are moving to grab Butler's property and possessions. Attorney Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center convinced the jury that Butler was grossly negligent and should b~ _hit with co mpensatory and pumttve damages for appointing three guards who assaulted the plaintiffs. 路路we had a trial all right, reminiscent of a trial in the days of Stalin," Butler said. A clock with a swastika face ticked nearby. Butle r praised his attorney, Edgar Steele of Sandpoint, as a "courageous man'' who took the case in the belief it was an attack on free speech. " I think he did a magnificent job." "The past two weeks, freedom of speech has been on trial." Butler said. "This case was part of a growing tre nd to use civil courts to disagree with political points of view,路路 he said. Butler spoke Saturday from the same church pulpit where he has delive red sermons for the past 25 years, telling his followers that white people are God's real children and

Jews are descendants of Satan. Rick Cooper, a national socialist from Goldendale, Wash., and former Spokane skinhead Robert Gmeiner were in the chapel with two other Aryan followers for the press conference. Since the verdict, Butler said he has received about 100 telephone caUs and 300 e-mail messages from supporters, including William Pierce of the National Alliance, Tom Metzger of the White Aryan Resistance (WAR) and various KKK leaders. "He was in a daze for quite a while after the verdict," said Cooper, who

arrived at the Aryan compound shortly after the verdict. Butler's German shepherd, Fritz, walked down the church aisle, spotted Butler, then approached and licked a pewter bust of Adolf Hitler. A wood pellet stove, fired up to knock off an early fall chill in the Aryan chapel, spewed a light smoke in Butler's chapel. In between one set of pews, an earwig crawled off a blue shag aisle carpet onto the cold concrete floor in the building that Dees wants to turn into a tolerance center. As the TV cameras rolled, Butler pointed his finger over the pulpit and

told reporters he "won't be run out of North Idaho." " I intend to stay here if possible," the 82-year-old Aryan founder said. " I intend to stay in this part of the country." To back that point, Butler said he plans another Aryan parade down Sherman Avenue on Oct. 28. Many of his sympathizers now " may fear the Jews" and will be reluctant to show up for the parade, Butler said. "I'm going to show them that at least one old man has the guts to walk down the street of Sherman after aUegedly he had been run out of Idaho," Butler said. " I'm going to do it even if I have to do it by myself, but l don't think I'm going to be alone."

Spokane. Wash. / Coeur d'Alene, 1oano

From the Front Page

PARADE

continued from A1

A Kootenai County jury,determined Thursday that Butler and three former members of the Aryan Nations are 1iab1e for $6.3 million in

The 1999 march bad oafÂĽ about damages for assaulting a Bonner Q;,untywomao and her aon. dren. It had to turn midroute Cresswell said th'e task force is because protesters sat in the street dellghtedwitbThursday'sjuryventict. and blocked the way. â&#x20AC;˘Richard Butler may still be Doug Cresswell, president of the around. Hopefully the compound is Kootenai County Task Force on shut doWJ\ and has new owners .. Human Relations, questioned CressweJ1 said. "Maybe he wants fu whether Butier'wi11 be able to bidiitl!t' ~ he'e.ootdone yet." much eupportin mid-to W e ~ Coeur d'Alene Mayor Sieve 'lud, "I cJen't know what to mekeJO: Wl8 out of to-. JFriday. Wt he W88 Cresswell said. "When be held the aware of the application. said deputJ parade without the World Congres, dty clerlc Kathy Lewis. going on, be hasn't had that much support" 18 participan~ including a few dill,

although not nearly as much as the jury award. "I've got a deal for Mr. Butler," Dees said following the verdict He offered to settle the judgment if Butler turns over all of the assets, leaves Idaho and ceases operations forever. Dees wants Butler to give up ownership of the name Aryan Nations. "We see the name as one of Aryan Nations assets. We could turn around

and sell it to someone else," said SPLC spokesman Mark Potok. "Of course, in this case we're not going to do that" Potok said SPLC successfully sued the United Klans of America for $7 million in 1987 for the murder of a 19-yearold black man in Mobile, Ala "As part of the settlement, they agreed to give up the name, disband and never reconstitute again." Butler may not be going any-

where soon. Steele said he h as identified 13 points under which he could seek an appeal or a new trial. However, considering the unanimity of the 12 jurors and the s ize of the award, he also asked, "Why bother?" "I've recommended that Pas tor Butler take a hard look at bankruptcy," he said Friday. On Thursday, Steele asked Kootenai County Prosecutor Bill Douglas to charge one of the plaintiff's witnesses who said he conspired to commit arson with Butler's aid. . Charles W. Harwnan, 30, te.stil\ed that Butler encouraged him to firebomb the home and office of Marshall Mend, a Jewish Realtor and longtime vocal opponent of the Aryan Nations. If Hardman was telling the truth, he committed a felony crime, Steele contends. Butler could be entitled to a new trial if Hardman retracted his testimony in the face of possible criminal charges, Steele said. Douglas said he would have to review the trial transcript before he considers whether charges are in order. Butler wouldn't comment Friday. He has called a press conference for today at the compound.

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lu Sept. 9, 2000

Attorneys: Butler ~ust leave Nazi possessions when vacating compound By MIKE McLEAN

Staff writer

COEUR d ' ALENE Richard Butler is welco~e to abandon the Aryan Nati.ons compound he has owned smce 1973. but he can Â°.nly take the clothe he's weanng, accor.ding to attorneys for assault V1Ctims who received th.e largest jury award in Idaho hi torr, Butler, Aryan Nations world leader, must l~ave behind his Nazi possessions,

everything used in the ope~ation of his white supr~mac1st organization and anything else that Victoria Keenan and her so n ' Jason . consider valuable, attorneys contend. Coeur d'Alene law~er Norm Gissel faxed a not1~e Friday informing Butler s attorney, Edgar Steele, that the Keenan now have a vested intere t in the prope~ty of Butler and his Aryan Nations. BUTLER continued on A5

BUTLER

continued from A 1

A Kootenai County jury awarded the Keenans $6.3 million Thursday following a seven-day civil trial in 1st District Court The jury determined that Butler and his former chief of staff, Michael R. Teague, were gro sly negligent in the hiring and training of Aryan Nations security personnel. Three security guards chased and shot at the Keenans as they drove by the compound on July 1, 1998. At the time, they thought the Keenans were part of a Jewish conspiracy aimed at canceling an Aryan Nations parade that was held less then three weeks later in downtown Coeu r d'Alene. Two of the assailants, E. Jesse Warfield and John S. Yeager, are serving prison sentences. The Keenans were represented by Morri Dee and his Southern Poverty Law Center - who specializes in bankrupting violent hate groups through lawsuits - in addition to Gissel. Gissel's notice warns Steele that Butler or anyone acting on his behalf is

prohibited from removing office equipment and furniture used in the operation of Aryan Nations. It also prohibits him from moving any financial records or other busines files, including information stored on computer. Gissel said he has many photographs taken by photo journalists and others of personal property on the compound, wh ich the Keenans consider "property of value in the ultimate satisfaction of their judgment" Gissel also gave notice to Richard Butler and codefendant Michael Teague to come to Gissel's office on Oct 13 for a debtor's exam: Teague said the verdict is not the end of the Aryan Nations, even if it means that Butler will lose the church grounds. 'This will not silence the message of the Aryan Nations," he said Thursday after the verdict was read. "Aryan Nations is not a place. It is in your heart" The Aryan Nations property is assessed at about $200,000. Butler claims a personal income of $890 per month from Social Security. He said the Aryan Nations takes in about $80,000 per year in donations and dues. Dees said Butler is worth a lot more,

Our view The $6.3 million judgment against Richard Butler and his A,yan Nations thugs is as wekome as it is overdue

Celebrate verdict, but stay vigilant If ever a man deserved to be shut down and run out of North Idaho, it's Richard Butler. For three decades, the Hayden Lake hatemonger has incited crime and acts of violence with his racist rhetoric. His 20-acre compound has been a beacon for racist ex-cons, ne'er-do-wells and pyschopaths. It has provided refuge for murderers, bombers, counterfeiters, robbers- a who's who of this country's racists. As a result, Butler and his ragtag band soiled their nest in beautiful North Idaho. The national media have flashed Butler's burning crosses, swastikas and stiff-armed salutes from coast to coast, giving the panhandle a black eye and scaring minority groups away. For some, Butler made " Idaho" synonymous with "racism." On Thursday, a courageous Kootenai County jury finally said: No more. You 're through. In handing down a $6.3 million civil verdict against Butler and his security guards in the 1998 assault on Victoria Keenan and her son, Jason, the jury of Butler's peers did what others have failed to do. It held Butler accountable for the dirty deeds he has inspired. The judgment should bankrupt Butler, 82. We say: Good riddance. Three jurors struggled with the idea of turning an old man out into the cold, penniless. But Butler isn't any old man. To the end, he staged his annual Aryan Nations congresses. Even now he's planning another Coeur d'Alene parade, in October, in defiance of the jury decision and his Kootenai County neighbors. The $6.3 million is a smalJ down payment for the damage Butler has caused individuals - and the region's reputation.

The Inland Northwest is indebted to the Keenans. They ~ow the terror of being chased and shot a~by Butler'~ ~ugs. Of stanng down the barrel of an assault rifle. Their brave dec1s1on to hold ~utter responsible was the beginning of the end of the Aryan Natlons. The region also is beholden to Morris Dees of the Southe.m Poverty Law Center, and Coeur d'Alene ~ttor:neys N~~ Gissel and Ken Howard for litigating the Aryan Nations mto obliv10~. Each pul his life on the line. The white supremacis.t m.o~ement 1s a mixture of inept misfits and truly dangerous md1v1duals. Some of the latter visited Coeur d'Alene last week to support Butler. " Racist Tom Metzger told The Spoke.sman-Revie~; "I don't . believe in misdirected or nonsensical violence. But 1t s a.tool-like a pair of pliers or a hammer. If properly used, I see nothing wrong with it." Metzger remains unrepentant after Dees su.ed !1"11.into bankruptcy for inspiring the mur?er of an Et~op1an in Portland. He's still spouting hate. Butler ~il~, too. ~e said ~s much afte~ t~; verdict: "I'm still here. I'll remam ID busmess until the day I die. We should celebrate the verdict against Butler an~ the Ary~n Nations. It's overdue. But we shouldn't be lulled by 1t. !he frmt of Butler's foul labor remains. Some of the notorious racist~ he. . attracted to the region still live among us. We must remain v1gilant. D.F. Ollverla/For the editorial board

-ÂˇAryan trialpeacekeepers

Hot Potatoes

prove to be pros in the tnaking The SpokesmanÂˇ Review

weet Potatoes - to Sheriff Rocky Watson and Police Chief!om Cronin for keeping th~ peace during the tnal of the century. A Reader .s Digest version of their troops' work? Officers were serious. But not heavy handed. They were ~Je~. But not unfriendly. They were pros. The dyoaffilte Jobs done by Rocky's department and CPD Blue allowe~ residents to go about their business as though nothing. was happening. For those who've witnessed Aryan raJhes and marches, it doesn't get better than that.

D.F. Ollverla

ffeane~n°', ~PTEMBER 20

2000

Rights activist gives $500,000 toward cause Idaho Human Rights Education Center to use money on human rights education programs By Betsy Z. RusselJ Staff writer

BOISE - The same human riihts activist whose challenge grant brought an outpouring of support from Idahoans a year ago has donated half a million dollars to help educate ldaho youngsters about human rights. Greg Carr, an Idaho Falls native and software entrepreneur, has pledged $500,000 to the ldaho Human Rights Education Center over the next five years. The monc) will staff the Boise-based center and enable it to work with the Association of Idaho Cities on human rights education programs that can be used in elementary school classrooms throughout Idaho. "Greg Carr is one of the greatest friends that Idaho has ever had for its human rights work." said longI time human rights activist and ·1 North Idaho College professor Tony Stewart. "We are excited and energized by these developments.'' The center will break ground next week on the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise, a I I $1.6 million permanent memorial to I the young Holocaust victim that will Carr help teach youngsters about tolerance. Carr made his first $500,000 gift to the center last year to help build the memorial, and challenged Idahoans to match it. They did more than that, with more than 1,000 Idaho residents and businesses raising $740,000 in three months - $300,000 in just the final few days. Carr, the 40-1.ear-old former chairman of Prodigy lnc., said he didn't hke people associating ttis home state with racists. The Anne Frank memorial will include benche~. a waterfall and a sculpture of Anne Frank, along with the Universal Declaration of I luman Rights and quotes from human rights activists and leaders engraved on a 175-foot wall. Funded by Carr's gift, docents will lead educational tours for schoolchildren at the memorial, which is scheduled for completion next spring. Marilyn Shuler, board president of the Human Rights Education Center, said Carr's genero:.il) isn't endmg with the donation. He's also flying a group of cit) officials and others to his Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University next week, for workshops on how to help promote human rights in Idaho. Carr is also funding the Association of Idaho Cities· five-year human rights campaign. which will dovetail with Shuler"s group's efforts and those of other human rights groups around the state. Stewart serves on the board of the Coeur d'Alenebased Idaho I luman Rights Education Foundation, which sponsored a conference last weekend that helped hun-

Gift: 'Great news for Idaho' Continued from A1

dreds of teachers from North Idaho and eastern Washington learn how to teach their students about diversity and colerance. "We're going to be operating on several different fronts to promote diversity and human rights," Stewart said. " It's all great news for Idaho." Shuler said a piece of the fiveyear grant to the education center will go to a grant-writing contract with former Coeur d'Alene priest Bill Wassmuth, a pioneering human rights act ivist known throughout the region. Those efforts should lead to additional funds and more human rights work, Shuler said. "The center is much more than a five-year project," she said. "We have a memorial that'll last for well over 100 years. I think we're in for the long haul." • Betsy Z. Russell can be reached at (208) 336-2854 or by e-mail at bzrussell@rmci.net.

Diversity

forum has good timing Teachers conference comes on heels of JudgmQnt against area racists By Erica Curless Sta:ff writer

COEUR d'ALENE- The timing is perfect for cliversity to visit Coeur d'Alene, say organizers of this week's Diversity in the Classroom conference at North Idaho College. More than 200 educators from Idaho and Washington will be attending the Friday and Saturday forum to learn new ways to teach diversity and tolerance in their classrooms. The conference is free and open to the public, not just to educators. Although NIC, the Human Rights Education Foundation and the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations have planned the event for months, its timing is unpeccable, organizer Tony Stewart said. The conference faUs on the heels of last week's $6.3 million verdict against the Aryan Nations for attacking two Kootenai County residents in 1998. Stewart serves on the boards of both the foundation and the task force and is NICs vice president for instruction. ''Diversity is here," said Sandy Combo, the Plummer/Worley Joint School District's speech and language pathologist. "These kids need to learn tolerance for each other. If they don't do it early on, it just gets worse as adults." About 15 teachers and administrators from the district, whi<;h has a 50 percent American Indian student population, plan to attend. Combo said diversity fits into every aspect of teaching. Ramsey Elementary School teacher Paula Marano agrees. She 1s taking a year's leave but will attend the conference to get new ideas on bringing diversity into the classroom. Marano teaches her Coeur d'Alene thirdgraders world folkJore and legends, which hel{'S them relate to other cultures and time penods. It's a global world we live in,'' she said. "It's an opportunity to share in au kinds of learning.'' Marano also remarked on the conference's timing and said it is a good opportunity for Continued: Teachers/A16

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area teachers to make a change. "I think instead of reacting, we are called to respond," she said about the Aryan verdict. "This is one way to respond, by learning and growing. It becomes a more peaceful approach through dialogue and discussion." Marano said diversity isn't just about race and gender, but different learning styles. Stewart said the conference, which includes lectures by the nation's top diversity experts and hands-on workshops, is a gift to educators. "We are a diverse society and we need to teach young people how to appreciate and celebrate our differences as a people," he said. "Teachers are very eager to do this." Diversity wasn't always taught in schools of education. It's something that has bloomed in the past decade, Stewart said. The conference is a chance to help teachers who never got diversity training to include it in their curriculum. The Human Rights Education Foundation has raised about $20,000 to give grants to teachers who need

IF YOU GO

Conference hlghllghls One of the event's hlghlghts Is a 3:30 p.m. lecture Friday by

Raymond Reyes, Gonzaga University's associate vice president for diversity. Reyes Is a fonner chief admlnlslratlve officer for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. Loretta Ross, director of the

CenlarforHuman Rights~ In Allanta, will speak Fliday at 6 p.m. ,...,.4·i:ti:i. Saturday's events lnck.lde an

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Omowala Akkllunde, • Unlvwslty of Wyoming prufessoi', WI speak Saturday at 9 a.m. on "White Racism, While Prlvllege and WlillB Supremacy.'' For more Information contact Tony Stewart at (208) 769-3325.

extra money to buy the materials needed to teach diversity, foundation president Mary Lou Reed said. "We want to supplement their ideas to make the teaching of diversity more interesting," Reed said. Teachers can apply for the grants later in the year.

•

Aryan Nations move postponed Butler files ~1motion By M IKE McLEAN Staff writer

COEUR d' ALENE Richard Butler asked late Wednesday for an appeal of the landmark judgment again s t him, delaying a seizure of his personal property by two weeks while the appeal motion is considered, according to court documents. Kootenai County Sheriff Ro cky Watso n receive d a notice of appeal as he was preparing to serve a writ of execution calling for seizure of items belonging to Butler a nd the white supremacist Aryan Nations. Watson said he had planned for deputies and professional moves to begin removing items, including office equipment and Nazi memorabilia, from the Aryan Nations compound as early as Friday to he lp pay the $6.3 million ju r y awar d against

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• List of items to be removed from Aryan compound/AS Butler and three of his followers. Butler's secu ri ty guards attacked Victoria and Jason Keenan as they drove past the Aryan Nations grounds on Rimrock Road north of Hayden Lake two years ago. The jury determined on Sept 7 that Bu tler is 90 percent responsible for the assault and must pay more than $5 million of the total award. It's the largest jury award of its kind in Idaho and also the first writ of execution that Watson can r ecall being issued from District Court. "O ur civil attorn ey said there is no waiting on a civil judgment in Idaho," Watson MOVE continued on AS

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said prior to receiving the notice of appeal. "We need to arrange a bonded moving company." The appeal notice puts the writ on hold two weeks, unless plaintiff attorneys file successful countermea~ res, Watson said. Idaho code requires a bond equal to 150 percent of the total judgment when a case is under appeal. The bond would cost Butler about $966,000. "I asked him about that," Watson said. "He said he filed as indigent."

Watson said Butler asked from the defendant. There Meantime, the sheriff staArmed guards stood sentry how he can be required to pay would be people all over bid- tioned a civilian security patrol at the Aryan Nations gate. One an appeal bond when he can't ding on this," Gissel said. "I near the compound to monitor guard carried a black assault pay filing fees. wouldn't think that would be traffic entering and leaving the rifle with a 30.round magazine Attempts by the Press to something they would want to property. similar to the weapon used in reach Coeur d'Alene lawyers have happen." 'They are not going to jump the attack on the Keenans. on the Keenans' legal team for An auction of the personal in front of anybody," Watson Another, Robert Gmeiner, reaction to the notice of appeal property won't come close to said. "'They are going to docu- had a rifle with a brown woodwere unsuccessful late satisfying the judgment. Gissel ment anything that leaves." en stock slung over his shoulWednesday. said he is planning a debtor's By court order, Butler is der. When contacted prior to the exam for Butler and Michael R only a llowed to r emove his A third had what appeared filing of the notice of appeal, Teague, his former chief of clothes from the grounds. to be a digital camera. Keenan attorney Norm Gissel, staff, on Oct. 13. Watson said an investigator "You can get back in you car said there is nothing unusual The writ does not require talke d to Butler twice and leave," Gmeiner said to a about the seizure of property Butler to leave his home on the Wednesday and doesn't expect reporter who asked to take his after a civil judgment. 20-acre compound where he any problems if and when it picture. "It's done all the time. They has lived since he moved from comes time to execute the writ The guard with the camera haul it and store it and then California in 1973. A male who answered the said he could put a photograph they have an auction. It might "We're not doing anything phone at the Aryan Nations of the reporter on the Aryan be better if we left it in site, but with the land and buildings," Compound said Butler wasn't Nations Web page. "It gets that would take cooperation Watson said. speaking Wednesday. about 2,000 hits a day," he said.

Our view The day neo-Nazi Richard Butler hands over the keys to his Nmth Idaho compound will be important, strategically and symbolically.

Our freedoms not license to do wrong Two strains of fau lty reasoning have surfaced since Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler and his former security guards were hit with a $6.3 million civil judgment. Some believe that the verdict opened Pandora's box. That the white supremacist movement will go underground and become more dangerous if Butler loses his appeal for a retrial and is forced to give up his compound. According to this school of thought, it's better to let the neo-Nazis have a haven where we can keep track of them - even if it attracts bad apples and worse publicity. A second group claims Butler got the shaft for espousing unpopular beliefs. That he shouldn't have been held liable for damages. After all, he didn't pull the trigger in 1998 when his security guards chased and shot at Victoria and Jason Keenan. This school holds that the verdict erodes free speech and makes political correctness the Jaw of the land, not our Constitution. Both groups are dead wrong. Strategically, the closure of Butler's compound would be one of the most important local events in the last quarter century. It would remove a staging area for Butler's annual congresses and parades, depriving the national media of the chance to continue casting North Idaho as a haven for racists. No burning crosses. No swastikas. No film at ll. Also, racist ex-cons would have to find somewhere else to go for free room, board and sick ideas. SymboLicalJy, closure of the compound would be even more significant. Butler moved here to establish a white homeland. Not only did his doctrine of hate fail to find fert ile soil in an overwhelmingly white area but his compound was his beachhead. Padlocked, it would send a signal that Idaho doesn't tolerate hate when it inspires violence. Butler might as weJJ have shot at the Keenans. Regularly, he embraced thugs with criminal records, gave them authority to act in his name and incited them with his racist propaganda. Only trus time, he got caught. The Keenan verdict won't drive white supremacism any farther underground than it already is. Some of the most dangerous characters in the movement are anonymous to the public. Some live in this region. The verdict should remind them that unbridled hatred can produce serious consequences. If Butler is forced to tum over his compound to the Keenans, as appears likely, he bas no one to blame but himself. He played fast and loose with this country's guaranteed freedoms. In the end, he went way too far. D.F. Oliveria/For the edttorial board

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A 6 THE PRESS Wed nesday, Sept. 27, 2000

Readers Write

Powell's is a welcome presence Open letter to General Colin Powell, U.SAE,(Ret) Âˇ Dear General Powell: On behalf of its members, the Board of Directors of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations extends to you warm greetings and we)<x>me during your visit to North Idaho. Your appearance at Gonzaga University's conference in Coeur d'Alene reminds us of all ~ is good about America and Idaho. We admire and honor your exemplary life's work, both as a soldier who defended our h"berties and as a private citizen who promotes equality and justice for all our people. Your commitment to civil rights laws and policies that promote inclusion and respect for all Americans has earned our unconditional gratitude. We thank you.for modeling such a commendable path Jor America's youth. The great majority of Idahoans'

support your commitment to safeguarding America's democratic principles of liberty, equality and justice. Idaho has a successful history of assimilating immigrants from around the world. For centuries, five great Native American tribes of Idaho have welcomed newcomers from all ,geographical regions and cultures. The voters of Idaho elected the first governor in America of Jewish ancestry and the first state attorney general in America of Indian ancestry. Idaho was the third state to grant women the right to vote. Idaho has one of the most extensive set of laws to combat bate crimes and, recently, we have learned that Idaho juries can be very tough on perpetrators of hate crimes. Thank you for honoring us with your visit We hope you will visit us again in the future. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kootenai Country Task Force on Human Relations

Conference urges teachers to teach students Importance or diversity, understanding by Mindy Wolfrom

Sentinel reponer In an effort to end to prejudice, the first Conference on Understanding Diversity was held Sept. 15 and 16. More than 300 teachers and students joined in NIC's Schuler auditorium to learn the importance of understanding human differences. The conference was free to anyone interested in learning about cultural diversity. Mary Lou Reed, president of the Human Rights Education Foundation, started the conference, reminding listeners that this was a celebration of diversity. "Today I feel like we really are throwing a party," she said. The first speaker of the conference was Raymond Reyes, associate vice president for diversity from Gonzaga University. He spoke about the deep love that humans hold for freedom and how freedom is the start of cultural understanding. Teaching is "about nurturing the innate human ability to dream," Reyes said. Nine workshops were held the second day. School administrators, teachers and students were presented iofonnation on understanding how diversity applies in the classroom. The workshops included Dr. Omowale Akintunde from the University of Wyoming presenting on "White Racism, White Privilege and White Supremacy: The Social Construction of Race," and Kathy Yamamoto, Idaho Education Association and Marilyn Shuler, formerly from the Idaho Human Rights Commission, spoke about the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial Project. NIC president Michael Burke was a guest speaker on Saturday at the conference. Burke spoke about why diversity matters. There were 12 speakers at the conference. Leo McGavnick, an instructor from the University of Alaska, was excited to see North Idaho's view on diversity. He recalled that

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Raymond Reyes, the associated vice president for diversity at Gonzaga University, stresses the importance of diversity and what "we can learn from each other." human relations were once referred to as " race relations." "That's the wrong word. because then you're drawing attention to the fact that there is a difference," he said. "We're all human." University of Idaho students received credit for attending the conference. Last year the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Rights Education gave $20,000 in grants to teachers in Idaho. The Human Rights

Education Foundation, an educational branch of the Kootenai County Task Force, is planning on giving granLc; to teachers this year. Tony Stewart. a political science teacher at N IC who coordinated the event, explained the need for this conference. 'ÂˇA child is bom without prejudice and it is a learned behavior. Therefore, if we want to erase prejudice and bigotry in society we need to do it through education.

T HE SENTINEL

Thursday. Sept. 28. 2000

Beyond Campus

photos by

Church of Jesus Christ Christian Pastor Richard Butler speaks at a press conference held at his church on the Aryan Nations compound. " I will not leave like a whipped dog" Butler said during the Sept. 7 conference.

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by Kate Elsa Life Editor On Sept. 7. shortly after 5 p.m., the heart of racism. fear and violence in the Northwest beat for it's last time. A j ury of three men and nine women found that Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler's negligence led to the July I, 1998 assault on former Nl C student Victoria Keenan and her son, Jason. Victoria and Jason were returning home from a wedding around 2 a.m. when Jason accidentally dropped his wallet out of their vehicle's window while passing the Aryan Nation 's compound. After turning arou nd and retrieving the

wallet. a truck carrying Jesse Warfield, John Yeager and Shane Wright came up behind them. Warfic::ld, who was the head of Aryan Nations security at the time, and the other men yelled they were from the Aryan Nations and that they wanted the Keenan's to stop. Victoria sped up, able to see one of the men was holding a rifle. The men began shooting at the Keenan's vehicle. Five bullets hit it, including one that mjssed the fuel tank by an inch. and another that hit a tire, causing the truck to veer into a ditch. Victoria thought they were going lo die a nd said good-bye to her son. The men accused the Keena n's of shooting at the compound, a nd threatened to kill them.

Victoria Keenan, surrounded by lawyers, body guards and media, exits Kootenai County Courthouse after learning the jury's verdict.

Victoria told the men that she was a poor white farm girl because she thought s he would be killed if the men found out about her Nat ive American heri tage. T he men drove away when another vehicle approached. T he Keenan's ran to a nearby house for help. Both Yeager and Warfield are serving time for the assault. Wright is still at large. Since the auack, Victoria and Jason have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. "Things that we take for granted. like a green pickup behind us on the highway, we don't think anything about it," said Norm Gissel, one of the Keenan's attorneys. "To the Keenan's, that is the Aryan Nations guards coming to get them." T he next day. Victoria called Judy Watley, the vice president of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, because she knew that the rask force assisted victims. Watley then ca lled Nort h Idaho College politica l science instructor Tony Stewart, fellow member of the task force. who suggested, after talking 10 the Keenan's, they speak with Gissel, the task force attorney. " J was very pleased that Victoria called us," Stewan said. "She and her son don't have a lot of money and that is a beautiful example of how the task force could fi nd a way for she and her son 10 have their day in court." The trial began on August 28, with local attorney's Gi sse l an d Ke n Howard representing the Keenan's, along with Morris Dees, Pete Tepley and Richard Cohen of the Southern Poverty Law Center. "We almost could have not tried this case without the Southern Poverty Law Center," Gissel said. "With their national reputation a nd the ir s kill s as lawyers I thin k the ir involvement in this case was I 00 percent necessary. I don't think we would have gotten the verdict we did or anything close to it if it had not been for the Southern Poverty Law Center." T he Keenan's lawyers argued that it was not only Warfield and Yeager who were responsible for the assault. but also Butler for not properly training and policing the men he let guard his property. The three men were acting as guards of the compound at the time of the shooting. Michael Teague, a former Aryan Nation s head of security who is another defendant in this case. testified that he knew that Warfield was a convicted felon, which would make it i ll egal for h im to possess a firearm, and tha t he sus pected Warfield o f using melh. Edgar Steele of Sandpoint rep resented Richard Butler. Steele argued that Butler told the men that if they left the compound, then they were on their own if anything happened. Both Butler and Steele believed that Butler was put on trial not for his actions, but for his belief~. C harles Hardman testified that the SKS

assault rine used in the Keenan attack waf given away as part of a Buller orchestrated cover up. He said he was going to firebomb task force me mbe r Marshall Mend's home using a bottle supplied by Butler specifically for the attack. Hardman did not to go though with the plan. Yeager and Warfield, who were both found guilty of the attack at an earlier trial, testified. Yeager claimed that he was so drunk that he didn't remember the shooting. Warfie ld said that he had considered starting The Order Il l. The Order was an organization comprised of Aryan Nations members who, among other c rimes, murdered Denver talk show host Alan Berg, a v ocal human rights proponent: bombed a gay Seaule nightclub, and s tole over $4 mi llion from armored trucks, in the early '80s. The second Order was also made up of Aryan Nations members. They were responsible for the bombing of then Cat holic Priest and President of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations Bi ll Wassmuth's house, and the Federal Building in Coeur d'Alene in 1986. At the end of th e trial, the Keenan 's attorney's asked the jury for $ 11.26 milJion in compensatory and p un itive da mages. Compensatory damages were for the actual attack, puni tive damages were punishment against the defendants for negligence. After a day a nd a half of deliberat io ns, the jury returned with a verdict of $6.3 million. "It is a historical verdict," Stewart said. "What it says is that in Idaho and around the country is that individuals and organizations can express whatever view they wish, including even offensive positions. But what they cannot do is escape respons ibility of taking speech and moving it into illegal action. T he first amendment can never be used as a shield to commit violent acts." Victoria was awarded $250.000 in compensatory damages and Jason was given $80.000. Yeager was found responsible for $ 100,000 in punitive damages, Warfield for $500,000, Teague for $600.000 and Butler for $4.8 million. This judgment bankrupts Butler, who fi led an appeal on Sept. 13. Judge Charles Hosack has unLil Oct. 25 10 decide whether 10 grant a new trial. If he doesn't, Butler is working on a deal with the Keenan's attorney to sign the Aryan nations compound, which includes Butler 's res ide nce: all o f hi s and the organizatio ns assets; the Aryan Nations website domain name and the Aryan Nations name to the Keenan's. If he had not decided to sign the property over 10 the Keenan's, his property wou ld have bee n seized by the sheriff s office and sold at a public auction. Stewart was in the courtroom when the verdict was read. Upon hearing the verdict, he said he thought 10 him!-e lf. "All of this has been so worthwhile. This is true justice."

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Norm Gissel, sitting with his wife, Diana, served as the legal instigator behind the successful Aryan Nations suit.

Rights activist Norm Gissel to be honored By Bill Mortin Staff writer

COEUR d'ALENE-

CdA attorney to receive Carl Maxey Racial Justice Award

Norm Gissel, a Coeur d'Alene human rights activist and attorney who helped engineer a suit to bankrupt the Aryan Nations, was named the recipient Friday of a major civil rights award. Gissel will receive the YWCA's 2000 Carl Maxey Racial Justice Award. The award and four others will be presented Nov. 2 at a public luncheon in Spokane where the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, will be the keynote speaker. "The $6.3 million judgment against Richard Butler and the Aryan Nations would not have been possible without the long-term leadership, foresight and courage of Norm Gissel," attorney Morris Dees said in a co-nominating letter. After they were assaulted by three Aryan gJ.1ards in July 1998, Victoria Keenan and her Continued: 61sseVA4

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Gissel: Women of achievement also honored Continued from A1

son, Jason, contacted Tony Stewart of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. Stewart directed the Keenans to Gissel, who has taken dozens of human rights cases without charge over the years. Gissel, a North Idaho native and graduate of the University of Idaho Law School, bas been a longtime member of the Kootenai County task force. As such, he was familiar with the work of Dees, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala. Gissel contacted Dees and asked whether the center would assist him in drafting the Keenans' damages suit against Butler and the Aryan Nations. After visiting North Idaho and the Keenans, Dees agreed to bring the suit with legal assistance from Gissel and Coeur d'Alene trial attorney Keo Howard. The suit was filed in January 1999, and the precedent-setting jury award was returned Sept. 7 after a sevenday trial. Dees said Gissel's leadership in founding the Kootenai County task force "and his persistence over the years in trying to make Idaho a more

tirelessly to enhance au aspects of the arts in our area." Mobley is secretary of the Washington State Arts Alliance and is a "strong voice for Eastern Washington." • Women of Achievement, Professional - JoAnn Matthiesen, a vice president at Avista. "For two decades, JoAnn has been among the city's most visible female executives and community leaders,"

AWARDS BANQ UET

King to speak The VWCA's Women of Achievement Award Program will be at noon Nov. 2 at the Spokane Convention Center. Coretta Scott King Is the keynote speaker. The annual event is open to the pubNc and reservations are stiD available. Aminimum donation of $100 is required, and payment options are available. Call 326-1190, extension 127, for reservations.

tolerant place are little-known outside of a small group of people. "llis efforts show what one person can do to change a community, a state and a nation," Dees wrote, saying he was honored to assist Gissel in bringing the suit. "Norm did an immense amount of work preparing the case and in planning trial strategy," Dees said. "He surely invested well over 2,000 hours of pro bono time to ensure a final victory." In his nomination letter, Dees described Gissel as a "warm and compassionate person" who "felt the pain of the Keenans." "He could not rest until all those responsible for their great losses were brought to justice," Dees said. "He reminds all lawyers of the reason we undertook the purs~it of justice." [n a separate nominating letter, Stewart said Gissel also bas represented single mothers facing "unfair policies." Years ago, he worked with

the YWCA selection committee said. "Not only is she a role model within the corporate world, she is also a role model for community involvement." • Women of Achievement, Community Service - Polly McMahon, faculty member at Spokane Falls Community College. She bas been honored twice by the SFCC Association of Women Students for her leadership and involve-

then Gov. Cecil Andrus to change laws dealing with health and welfare policies. "He cares about social justice," Stewart said of Gissel. Marshall Mend, another member of the Kootenai County task force, also wrote a co-nominating letter, describing Gissel as "committed to human rights." "Not only does he do the right thing, but he stands up and speaks out when he sees injustice, even at the risk of his own personal safety," Mend said. The Carl Maxey Racial Justice Award is presented annually by the YWCA in honor of the late Spokane attorney and lifelong champion of civil rights. The YWCA announced four other 2000 awards, which also will be presented at the Nov. 2 luncbeoo. • Young Woman of Achievement - Erin Richardson, Ferris High School senior. She is described as a "most enthusiastic, vigorous and versatile young woman." . In her freshman year, she was involved in a team that received a $25,000 grant to study the elimination of field burning. She has participated in Partnership for America's Future and National Gallery for America's Young lnventors and is a volunteer at Deaconess Medical Center. • Women of Achievement, Art and Culture - Karen R. Mobley, art director for the.city of Spokane. "She is a true leader, making a difference across the country in her role as arts advocate," the YWCA selection committee said. "She works

ment in programs to enhance- the educational experiences of all students. Many of her students "are fragile, have been out of school for a number of years and have lived on the edge. "Polly is the perfect antidote for their fear and anxiety," the YWCA said. "She accepts, encourages and gently nudges her students" ,ho gravitate toward her warm, safe and welcoming personality.

Clinton signs bill that includes $1.8 billion for wildfire prevention/83 SECTION

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Friday, October 13, 2000

The Spokesman-Review Spokane. Wash/ Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

To contact the North Idaho office, dial (208) 765-7100, toll-lree (800) 344-6718; Fax: (208) 765-7149

Group backs anti-racist slogan Task force wants rights message displayed for Aryan Nations march By Erica Curless Staff writer

COEUR d'ALENE- Idaho is getting a new image. No longer will the world view the state as a racist haven and Kootenai County as the Aryan Nations' home. Instead the world will know Idaho as the human rights state. At least that's the wish of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. On Thursday, the group unveiled a new slogan it hopes will take hold throughout the state: "Idaho, the Human Rights State." This slogan will make its debut Oct. 28, the day racist leader Richard Butler and

Task force members want state lawmakers to officially adopt the slogan. his white separatist Aryan Nations plan to march down Sherman Avenue in their third parade ia three years. "Idaho's reputation bas been damaged," task force President Doug Cresswell said. " This is a great way to launch a new and positive reputation." The task force, which includes city leaders from Coeur d'Alene, Hayden, Post Falls and Rathdrum, and the Coeur d'Alene Area Chamber of Commerce, is

asking all county businesses to display the slogan on their reader boards to counter the Aryan Nations parade. Idaho's striving for a new image comes in the wake of last month's $6.3 million jury ruling against Butler and the Aryan Nations that will bankrupt the orgaruzation and force the 82-year-old leader to leave bis longtime borne in Hayden. Norm Gisse~ a task force member and Coeur d'Alene lawyer who helped engineer the suit agamst Butler, said the judgment is proof Idaho tolerates ao bate and is ready to shed its racist image. " We are far further along than other states with respect to human rights," Gissel said. . Gissel called the slogan " uniquely appropriate." And the message is going statewide. Continued: Rlghts/84

Jesse Tinsley/Tlle Spo~sman-Review

Normm Gissel, right, and Tony Stewart of the Task Force on Human Rights talk about the new promotion called "Idaho, the Human Rights State."

Rights: Slogan display urged around state

Butler said Thursday the parade will go on despite the task force~ attempt to quell its attendance.

Continued from 81 Task force members want state lawmakers to officially adopt the slogan and use it on everything from highway signs to Idaho's commemorative quarter. Ken Harward, Association of Idaho Cities executive director, wants businesses in all of ldaho's 201 incorporated towns to display the " Idaho, the Human Rights State" slogan Oct.

28. " It's really a statewide issue," Harward said. "All of us in the state of Idaho feel a moral repugnance in the hate assimilated out of that compound. Idahoans around the state are extremely pleased with the jury's decision." Task force member Marshall Mend wants the slogan on Idaho License plates. But, " I' m not suggesting we get rid of the potatoes," Mend said jokingly. County leaders also urged residents to ignore Butler's parade and make Coeur d 'Alene a ghost town, a quiet means of protest. ''If nobody shows up, it becomes a non-event," said Tony Stewart, task force secretary. Butler said Thursday the parade will go on despite the task force's attempt to quell its attendance. " I know there will be at least one," Butler said, acknowledging he may be the lone marcher. Butler's application for a parade

permit stated that anywhere from 100 to 500 people may march. The parade starts at 11 a.m. at the intersection of Seventh Street and Sherman Avenue, ending at Independence Point. Last year, scores of protesters crowded Sherman Avenue to block the Aryan parade. Butler called the task force a communist organization. Idaho Independent Bank supports the task force and is happy to display the "Idaho, the Human Rights State" message on its Northwest Boulevard reader board, operation officer Julie Leist said. " All of us are in support of what they are doing and Like to support the commun ity in any way we can," she said. Coeur d'Alene Mayor Steve Judy said it's time to throw a farewell party for Butler, and the human rights slogan reiterates what Idah oans already knew about themselves. " We're obligated to teach our young people to tolerate," Judy said, while his 2-year-old son Spencer scribbled on a piece of paper. " You lead by example."

â&#x20AC;˘ Erica Curless can be reached at (208) 765-7136 or by e-mail at ericac@spokesman.com.

Human rights on parade Tllk force adopts new slogan for Aryan march By M IKE McLEAN

Staff writer COEU R d'ALENE - North Idaho residents and business leaders are being asked to capitalize on Ric hard Butler's recent court defeat rather than attend his Aryan Nations parade. The Kootena i County Task Force on Human Relations has Stewart adopted the slogan "Idaho, the Human Rights State." All Kootenai County businesses will be asked to post the slogan on their reader boards the weekend of the Aryan Gissel Nations march, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. Oct. 28 on Sherman Avenue. Task force members and city officials from Coeur d'Alene, Hayden, Rathdrum and Post Falls unveiled a logo to go with the slogan. Plans are to put the logo, which depicts a multi-racial handshake, on billboard and posters throughout the state Last month, a Kootenai County jury levied a $6.3 million civil judgment against Butler and three of his fo llowers over an attack by Aryan Nations security guards on a Bonner Co unty woman and her son.

The award is expected to bankrupt Butler and the wh ite supremacist, anti-Semitic organizati o o. The day afte r the verdict, Butler applied for a parade permit. Norm Gissel, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs, is also active in the task force. "The state of Idaho and the northern part of Idaho has been unique ly burdened by t hese racists who moved into our community some 20 years ago ," Gissel said. But lhe burden also brings about the strength of character needed to resist it, he said. "We will be fu r ther along than other states in the Un ited States with respect to civil rights. I think 'Idaho the Human Rights State' is a uniquely appropriate label for this state after what it has experienced in the last 25 years." Task force member Tony Stewart is urging everyone not to attend the parade.

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RIGHTS continued from A1 "The problem has been solved with the court case," he said. "It's over. The people who show up would be saying that (Butler) is still a force." Stewart conlends the lawsuit did not infringe on Butler's First Amendment rights. "We have never denied anyone free speech," he said. "W11at we do reject and what the jury has done in this case is said 'no' to crimes." The logo was designed by Shari Scott at the request of Marshall Mend, another member of the task force. "I think this is a great opportunity to get out what Id aho really is," Mend said. "Idaho is the human rights state and it's about time we tell the rest of the world exactly what 99.9 percent of the people really are." Coeur d'Alene Mayor Steve Judy said he hopes the slogan catches on immediately. "I would like to see businesses post it from now until the march if they can afford to put it up that long," he said. Jonathan Coe, director of the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce, said he hopes the effort will be part of the swan song of the Aryan Nations. Rathdrum Mayor Tawnda Bromely said she will also ask her community to use the slogan and logo. "I think it is vital. We need the positive aspect to the area now," she said. Ron McIntire, Hayden mayor and owner of Super 1 Foods, said he plans to post the slogan in signs at all of his stores. . Ken Harward, director of

the Association of Idaho Cities Human Rights Task Force, said the campaign will go statewide. "We will be contacting cities across the state and invite them to participate," he said. "People all across th e state share a feeling of gratitude for the jury's decision. Most peo-

ple also have a feeling of moral repugnancy at any notion of racial superiority, and they are highly offended by the hate propaganda that has come out of the Aryan Nations compound." Phone calls to the Aryan Nations by The Press went unanswered.

I ON

Sunday, October 22, 2000

The Spokesman-Review Spokane, Wash./Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

To contact the North Idaho office, dial (208) 765-7100, toll-free (800) 344-6718; Fax: (208) 765-7149

Security bolstered for ans' parade Many local human rights advocates say they won't show up to protest

By Angie Gaddy Staff writer

COEUR d' ALENE - Two previous Aryan Nations parades have prepared local law enforcement officials for next Saturday's event through downtown Coeur d'Alene, poUce say. After losing a civil trial last month, Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler said he still plans to march down Sherman Avenue on Satmday morning. Butler, reached at his Hayden Lake compound on Friday, said he hadn't heard bow many marchers will be in his parade. ''1 have no idea, but I'm going to be

there," he said. Meanwhile, local human rights advocates say they won't tum out to protest. "We have never changed ouI policy of not auending the event," said Tony Stewart of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. While there's been little word about how many marchers or protesters plan to show up, police say they're not taking any chances. "We are going to have ample police coverage," said Coeur d'Alene Police Lt. Ron Hotchkiss. "If you look back on past plans, we're not reinventing the wheel here."

ROAD C L OSURES

Aryan parade Coeur d'Alene police will begin shutting down Shennan Avenue from around Eighth Avenue to Northwest Boulevard and Mullan Road at 6 a.m.

Saturday. The street will be closed from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Butler took out a parade permit for more than 100 participants on Sept. 8 the day after a jury slapped the organiza-

tion with a $6.3 million judgment. The permit allows him to stage the event on Sherman Avenue between Seventh and Eighth streets. The parade route runs west to Northwest Boulevard and Mullan Road. Police will seal off the north side of Sherman and Lakeside avenues. Emergency vehicles will be able to run the length of the parade route using Lakeside. Estimates haven't been completed on how much the parade will cost the city for security, but Hotchkiss said it will cost much less than the security required for Butler's trial.

Page B2

The price of security at the trial topped

$100,000, combining Kootenai County deputies and Idaho State Police. All Coeur d'Alene police officers will be working the day of this year's parade. They'll be joined by staff from the Kootenai County Sheriffs Department and ISP. "We will have enough again to protect the people in the area," Hotchkiss said. Officers will begin asking car owners to move their vehicles around 5 p.m. Friday. Early Saturday they'll begin placing barricades and bringing in bomb-sniffing dogs. Continued: Aryanl/82

Sunday, October 22. 2000

Region

Aryans: Churches collect signatures Continued from 81 A mobile jail-booking station will be set up at the Kootenai County courthouse, said sheriffs Capt. Ben Wo lfinger. " We're certainly hoping that everything goes off smoothly," he said. Others say they're using that week-

end to send out a positive message. Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relatio ns will begin a campaign titled, " Idaho, the Human Rights State." Business owne rs are being asked to post signs and use their reader boards to display the slogan, said Tony Stewa rt, task force secretary.

" We're taking this opportunity to say there's been a victory," Stewart said. "The response is very positive." The task fo rce will be publishing a red, white and blue human rights poster for people to display. It will appear in Friday's Idaho edition o f The Spokesman-Review, he said. Area churches a re collecting signatures o f members in support of human rights. Butler calls his gro up the Church

of Jesus Christ Christian-Aryan Nations. "The churches feel a particular need to sign," said The Rev. Mike Bullard of First Presbyterian Church in Coeur d'Alene . " We have a different idea of what Christianity is."

â&#x20AC;˘ Angie Gaddy can be reached at (208) 765-7124 or by e-mail at

angieg@spokesman.com.

Aryan Nations hit with $6 million verdict C

shouted, "Don't f. .. were nurtured in an atmosphere OEUR o ' ALENE, Idaho Center attorneys immediwith the Aryans!" and that promoted violenCC:' said Cenately began steps to seize the f threatened to kill them ter legal director Richard Cohen. both. Warfield, 44, and The jury awarded $330,000 in Aryan Nations' assets after a jury i here on September 7 returned a Yeager, 22, are serving compensatory damages and a $6.3 million verdict against the prison terms for the total o f $6 million in punitive notorious bate group, its leader, assault. Wright is a damages. The lion's share of Richard Butler, and three former fugitive. damages - $4.8 million - was members. The Aryan Nations Dees told the jury awarded against Butler, the does not have millions of dollars, that Victoria Keenan is Aryan Nations and its corporate but chief trial counsel Morris tortu red by the mem- entity, Saphire Inc. Dees vowed to take the group's o ry of Warfield's face, T h e verdict brought praise 20-acre Hayden Lake compound and a psychiat rist from community leaders. "This and "every desk, typewriter and testified t hat both verdict, by a jury of peers, reprecomputer" in it for the victims of Keenans suffer from sents a clear victory for the valthe hate group's violence. post-traumatic stress ues of Jdabo," said Idaho Gov. " For too long, the Aryan disorder because of Dirk Kempthome. "We are lawNations compound has been a Center cl,ief trial counsel Morris Dees congratulates plai111iffJason Keenan after the verdict. the attack. abiding citizens who do not haven for violent racists," Dees Butler's lawyer, Edgar condone the violence and antics said. "The jury's verdict should associates have been convicted of night in 1998. Mistakenly beJiev- Steele, argued that the of a small group of put an end lo it." bank robberies, bombings and i ng the Keena n s were part of a guards were drunk and hatemongers." Bull..:r fo, m.:<l th~ Ar}an murders. Until now, But ler has Jcwi~h wn~pira\..')' that had target- a d e<l on their o wn $ Dees commended Nations in 1977, after he retired escaped unscathed . The verdict ed the Aryan Nations, a truckload when they attacked the the Keenans for their from the aerospace industry in should cripple the Aryan Nations of guards, including Jesse Keenans. But evidence ~ courage in bringing the California and settled a few miles and send a powerful message to Warfield, John Yeager and Shane presented by the Cenlawsuit. "This -has been north of here. The group teaches other hate groups. Wright, roared out of the Aryan ter's legal team conan extremely traumatic that white Aryans are the Biblical The jury determined Butler Nations compound. They chased vinced the jury that event for Victoria chosen people and that Jews and and his organization were guilty the Keenans for two miles down a Butler and his chief of Keenan and her son, people of color must be annihi- of gross negligence in appoint- country road, firing at them until staff, Michael Teague, Jason, and she is very lated or rem oved from contact ing and supervising security hitting a tire and forcing the car were responsible for grateful for the verdict;' Victoria Keenan with them. Over the years, the guards who assaulted Victoria into a ditch. Victoria Keenan was the actions of their he said. "But she didn't Aryan Nations compound has Keenan and her son Jason as struck with the butt of a gun and secur ity force. " We proved the bring this suit just for herself. She been the home of a who's who of they drove past the Aryan pulled by her hair while her son Aryan Nations guards were unfit, brought it for those other people violent white supremacists. Its Nations compound on a July was menaced by guard s w h o untrained and unsupervised and who have suffered at the hands of Butler - people like the Jewish

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children out in Los Angeles. who were shot by former Aryan Nations security guard Buford Furrow, and Alan Berg, the Denver talk show host murdered by a man connected to the Aryan Nations." Butler indicated he would ask for a new trial And he remained defiant The morning after the verdict he applied for a permit to hold an October 28 march in downtown Coeur d'Alene and vowed he would never leave the area. "I'm not going to leave like a whipped dog;' Butler said. "Period." The victory was the latest in a series of Center legal triump hs over hate groups in the past two decades. In 1986, the Center won $7 million for the mother of a black teenager lynched in Mobile, Alabama. In 1991, a jury awarded $12.5 million to the family of an Ethiopian student murdered by skinheads in Portland. In 1998, the Center won a record verdict against the Ku Klux Klan for its role in the burning of a black church in South Carolina.

2000

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OEUR d'AI.E ct. 27, 2000

oudy Vol.94 No. 88

5 sections

Judge unholds Butler verdict Keenans can take over property in a week By M IKE McLEAN

Staff writer COEUR d' ALENE - A judge upheld the landmark $6.3 million verdict against Richard Butler and three of his Aryan Nations foJlowers Thursday.

District Judge Charles Hosack require a reduction. A Kootenai County jury deterdetermined that be had no reason to change the verdict or grant a mined Sept. 7, after a weeklong new trial as requested by Butler's trial, that Butler was 90 percent responsible for an attack by Aryan attorney Edgar Steele. Hosack noted the jury award for Nations security guards on Victoria compensatory damages was two to and Jason Keenan as they drove by five times the amount he would tl1e compound on July 1, 1998. have awarded himself. But he said Hosack, who presided over the extent of the injuries was subjective trial, denied defense motions and he was not "shocked" by the Tuesday for a new trial or a reducaward to the degree that would tion in the award.

Hosack said defendants have a right to hate. "However, when that belief in hate fosters a climate conducive to violence, and when that foreseeable violence does then occur ... that right to believe in hate does not relieve the (defendants) from the consequences." The Keenans claimed post-traumatic stress disorder from the attack. Hosack ruled the jury had plen-

BIITlBI

ty of evidence to determine the defendants caused the injuries and they attempted to cite their "right to hate" to deny responsibility for the injuries. "That sort of calculated evil is the kind of behavior for which a reasonable jury could award an extremely wide range of punitive damages," said Hosack.

BUnER continued on A2.

Butler

Butler has left the compound, apparently without waiting for continued from A 1 the judge's decision. The 82-year-old man notified Steele said he was surprised the Kootenai County Sheriff's that the judge didn't at least Department that he has turned reduce the damage award. off all utilities. "I have no respon"It is an outrageous verdict," sibility as to its condition from Steele said. "It is so excessive it (Monday) on," he said. will cause people to hold the jusSheriff Rocky Watson said tice system in less regard. I am the Keenans' attorneys have one of those people." hired private security personnel He said Wednesday's ruling to watch the site. is probably the end of the case. Within days of the verdict, Steele said Butler could Butler reported that a stained appeal the ruling, but it would be glass window valued at $2,000 impractical to come up with an was destroyed at the Church of appeal bond which would cost J esus Christ Christian and a several times the amount that $400 handgun was stolen from his property is worth. his house. The church and the "Given his age and situation, house are both on the comit makes more sense to bow to pound which Butler has owned the inevitable and sign over the since 1973. property," Steele said. In his most recent literature, The Keenans can take pos- Butler has stopped using the session of Butler's property in a name Aryan Nations, referring week, according to a prior agree- only to hi s Church of J esus ment which the ruling now trig- Christ Christian. gers. The Aryan Nations Web site He lived on the ~acre parcel may also be in the Keenans' hands where he conducted his white soon. It refers viewers to look up s upremacist business and the Aryan National Alliance homeespoused the Christian Identity page, which looks similar, but theology. claims to be "the only one

approved by Pastor Butler." Butler has moved into a house on Skyview Lane in Hayden. The house was bought by sympathizer Vincent Bertolini, backer of the white supremacist 11th-Hour Remnant Messenger organization. A message left at the Butler's listed number was not immediately returned to The Press. Butler is planning a Christian Heritage and White Resistance march throug h downtown Coeu r d'Alene at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, the leading local human rights organization, is urging people to stay away from the parade and instead post signs touting "Idaho, the Human Rights State." But a Seattle group, United Front Against Fascism, is vowing to be among the protesters. Ann Rogers, an American Indian feminist, s upports counter rallies against white supremacists. "People's courage in the streets in the last decade laid the basis for the success of the legal challenge to Butler's operation," she said.

-REYIBW N OF

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ONLINE · WWW . SPOKESMAN REVIEW . COM

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Judge refuses Butler's request for new trial By Bill Morlin Staff writer

$6.3 million Judgment against Aryan Nations stands

COEUR d'ALENE - A judge has denied the Aryan Nations' request for a new trial, leaving intact a $6.3 million jury verdict that will close down the North Idaho hate compound. First District Judge Charles Hosack said in a 20-page ruli.n~ Thursday that he won't interfere with the jury's decision, reached Sept. 7. The judge said he personally may not have awarded the same amount of compensatory damages to Victoria and Jason Keenan, but said the punitive damages were appropriate based on the "outrageous conduct" of the Aryan Nations and its leader, Richard Butler. " ln situations of this nature, the sense of the

community is extremely important," Hosack said in his ruling denying a new tnal or a reduction of the damag~s. The judge said he would defer "to the collectJve wisdom of the jury, which was unanimous in its verdict." After a seven-day trial, the jury concluded that the Aryan Nations and Butler were "grossly negligent" for the actions of three Aryan guards who assaulted the Keenans in 1998. The judge's ruling will clear the way for the immediate transfer of the 20-acre Aryan Nations compound, its buildings and other property to the Keenans. The Keenans' attorney, Norm Gissel, said that could occur as early as next week. "This represents the end of a long journey that all of North Idaho undertook," Gissel said Thursday evening. "It's now over," he said, "and I'm glad the judge ruled the way he did." Butler's attorney, Edgar Steele, had argued that the

punitive awards were excessive and should be reduced because Butler and the Aryan Nations are poor and hold views that are politically incorrect. Hosack said if the defendant had been a "large powerful corporation, with ample monetary resources,'' he and the jury would have reached the same conclusion. Steele didn't cite any case law in support of his argument that the award should be reduced because a defendant is poor or holds politically incorrect views, Hosack said. The $250,000 in compensatory damages awarded to Victoria Keenan was two or three times greater than what he would have awarded, the judge said. And the $80,000 in compensatory damages awarded to Jason Keenan was two to five times greater than what he would have awarded, Hosack said. The rest of the $6.3 million Continued: Aryan Natlons/A18

Page A18

Friday, October 27, 2000

From the Front Page

Aryan Nations: Judge says beliefs condoned violence Continued from A1 judgment stems from punitive damages. But the post-traumatic and emotional distress the Keenans continue to suffer gives way to a "wide disparity of opinions" between reasonable people, Hosack said. The views of the Aryan Nations became relevant in the trial because Butler testified that hls beliefs were nonviolent, the judge said. There was "substantial evidence" that the be liefs of Butler and the Aryan Nations did condone violence, Hosack said. The beliefs condoning violence are "part of the reason the defendants were negligent in retaining and supervising'' the guards, Hosack said. Steele also argued that a new trial should be granted because of media coverage before or during the trial. But the judge said the Aryan

defense attorney only speculated and did not make any reference to any "extraneous influence from media accounts" upon whlch a juror relied during deliberations. "There is no showing on behalf of the (Aryan Nations and Butler) with regard to any effect publicity had, either pretrial or during the trial," Hosack said. The judge said the trial record "does contain substantial evidence supporting the claims of negligent hiring, retention and supervision" of the guards. He also said there is "substantial evidence" Butler and the Aryan Nations " knowingly retained unstable individuals with a propensity for violence to conduct security." Butler allowed the guards to "arm themselves with little or no supervision" and provided little oversight while they got drunk and chased down a nd shot at the Keenans.

"There is no doubt in this court~ mind that thejury verdict is in accord with the weight ofthe :J eviaence . .' . . ,, Charles Hosack, First District judge

"A simple recitation of the evidence in the record answers the question as to whether there was substan tial evidence justifying the submittal of the questions of liability and damages to the jury," Hosack said. Hosack cited a 1986 case before the Idaho Supreme Cour t that held judges should grant a new trial if a verdict is not supported by the evi-

dence or "when the verdict is not in accord with either law or justice." But the state's highest court also has said trial judges should ''respect the collective wisdom of the jury and, in most circumstances, accept the jury's findings" even if the judgeÂˇhas doubts about the panel's conclusions. "There is no doubt in this court's mind that the jury verdict is in accord with the weight of the evidence, no mistake has been made and that the verdict is not so flawed that the ends of justice would be served by vacating the verdict,'' Hosack said. The Aryan Nations and Butler "are correct in their claim that they should be allowed to believe in hate," Hosacksaid. But when hate beliefs foster a climate leading to foreseeable violence, the judge said, those who alJowed it to occur should be held responsible.

â&#x20AC;˘ Bill Mor1in can be reached at (509) 459-5444 or by e-mail at billm@spokesman.com.

Suncl11ÂĽ

Oct. 29, 2000

ostly cloudy Showers/A2 Vol. 94 No. 90

4 sections

Parade peaceful Protesters out shout Aryan Nations leader By BRENT ANDREWS Staff writer

COEUR d' ALENE - A riotready crowd-control squad watched and waited but was never needed Saturday as white supremacist Richard Butler and his supporters paraded along Sherman Avenue for the third year in a row. Butler rode in the back of ally Vincent Bertolliru's whlte Chevrolet convertible, flanked by two young

children and surrounded by about 25 marching followers. Sitting on the car's trunk, the Aryan Nations leader occasionally smiled and waved to the watching crowd like a high school beauty queen in a homecoming parade. Speaking through a megaphone, Butler promised another parade' "come summer'' and said it would be bigger and better than ever. But the spectacle of parading, flag-waving racists was often overs had owed by events on the Sherman Avenue sidewalk, where a few hundred gathered to shout, sing songs, distribute literature, argue

and simply watch. Despite the megaphone, most of what Butler had to say was barely audible amid the noise of protesters and supporters volleying shouts and chants at Butler and each other. 'This is the price we pay for living in a free society," said Dave Hopkins, 47, a Vietnam War veteran and Coeur d'Alene r esident who watched the parade witl1 wife Sierra. 'These people come along with it," Hopkins said. "In a free society we're going to have crime. We're going to have people like this. PARADE continued on A7

JASON HUNT/Press

An Aryan Nations supporter follows the parade down Sherman Avenue Saturday morning.

JASON HUN T/Press

Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler speaks in front of a broken stained-glass window in the Church of Jesus Christ Christian at a press conference at the Aryan Nations compound Saturday following their parade in dow ntown Coeur d'Alene.

PARADE

continued from A1

''I fought and almost died for their right to do this, so what the hell," he ad ded with a shrug. A few blocks away, April Silva of Spokane watched as Michael Hoffman of the Campaign for Radical T ruth in History took advantage of the ready-m ade audience to express his anger over the violence between Palestinians and Israelis in the Middle East. "I just came down lo see what was going on," said Silva, 24, as Hoffman squared off with anti-Butler protesters on the s idewalk near Sixth and Sherman. "1 didn't come to yell," Silva said. "1 don't agree with any of it" James Baker. 68. stood a few feet away, also watching Hoffman. Baker said he used to attend Butler's Church of Jesus Ch r ist Christian at Hayden Lake on a regular basis. The church artd its 20-acre compound were recenLly taken away from Butler as part of a civil settlement.

"lf they can close Pastor Butler's church down, what church is next?" Baker asked. Wearing a baseb all cap emblazoned with a Confederate battle flag and the words. - "Rebel and proud," Baker stood out in a crowd that was chanting "No Nazis, no KKK, no racist USA." He admitted Butler's beliefs weren't popular. ''That's too bad," he said. "I believe just exactly what he does." The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations and lhe Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Comm erce u rged people to ignore the march and businesses to post signs and posters declaring "Idaho, the Human Rights State." Many downtown businesses re mai n ed open, bul others closed their doors in non-observance of the parade. Java on Sherman, a popular coffee shop, locked up for an hour. Manager Jone! Baker, 43, no relation to James Baker. posted a sign on the door that read, "Closed to hate."

"Just during the parade," she explained after opening the door for a reporter. "Just for the safety of everybody." Asked if she was angry thal Butler's parade forced her to close, she said, "I make less money. "Look at all t he police and

everything," she said. "I work in the special education department at Lake City High School and we need stuff there, and it's kind of sad to see all this money being spent over this." Meanwhile Hoffman - who says he is no s upporter of Butler - continued to rail against the ''double standards of raci s m" and the deaths of Palestinians at the hands of Israeli police. "lf these were Jewish kids who were throwing stones and being shot down, this murder would end tomorrow," he shouted into a megaphone. "I'm not hip, because I'm out here protesting the murder of Palestinian women and children." After the parade, Hoffman frankly admitted using Butler's event as a forum to deliver his message. "I have lo break through the media curtain that is around us," he said. Kristy Johnson of Post Falls, pointed a sign toward Hoffman which read "Keep talking. It proves your ignorance." Johnson has opposed Butler in all three of his parades in Coeur d'Alene. ''I'm not the thought police. It's not what they say, it's what they do," she said, citing involvement of Butler associates in violent acts. Distrust of the media was a recurring theme of the march and sidewalk protests. Many Aryan Nations supporters refused interview requests. One called reporters "scum."

James Baker recalled a "press conference" at Butler's church that r esulted in the Butler's comments being misrepresented. "Pastor Butler said we're marching for the white race. But it got in the paper that we're marching for Hitler. So I don't believe anything in the Jewi sh-controlled med ia," Baker said. Sandpoint law.yer Edgar Steele, said he thought the parade was great Steele represented Butler on the losing end of the $6.3 million civil judgment which will bankrupt the Aryan Nations. 'Toe biggest message to the community is 'you can't shut (Butler) up. You've done your worst, but there is some free speech left in America,"' Steele said. The marchers were (ollowed by two street sweepers. Butler's lead car was preceded by a city tanker truck which squirted streets making them

uninviting in the 48-degree overcast morning to anyone who wou ld stage a s it-in to block the parade path. Last year. protesters sat down on the street, forcing the marchers to turn left and finish on Front Avenue. Butler's parade disbanded in an almost sur real scene just outside the Museum of North Idaho at the end of Sherman Avenue. The white supremacist icon was seen hugging Bertollini, who recently bought him a house. before leaving in a caravan. Meanwh il e several of Butler's skinh ead followers milled about in the street for a while before giving up the spotlight, walking under the police tape lining the street and joining the crowd of onlookers. Slurs were exchanged, shouting was heard, but there was no violence. The tight knot of police offi.c ers standing just a few hundred yards away in militarys tyle riot gear never got any closer.

"They were prepare d for whatever situations may arise and nothing happened so they weren't us ed," said Coeur d'Alene Police U. Greg Surplus. He said the group was "not a riot team. They're a crowd-control team." Lakeside Avenue, a block north of Sherman, was blocked to traffic and pedestrians for the e ntire length of the parade route. Spectators were allowed only on the south side of S herman Avenue and cross streets were barricaded a block away. Sherif f's Capt. Ben Wolfinger said the unprecedented measu r es were taken to assure emergency access to the parade route. Surplus said there were no arrests associated with Saturday's parade, adding, 'This is about as smooth as it's ever gone." There were four arrests last year and more during the first parade.

Staff writer Mike Mclean contributed to this report.

JASON HUNT/Press

A young girl gives a Nazi salute while riding next to Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler during Saturday morning's parade on Sherman Avenue.

Butler visits compound a final time By MIKE McLEAN Staff writer

HAYDEN LAKE - Racist leader Richard Butler returned to the former Aryan Nations compound for perhaps the last time Saturday, after being turned away from a Coeur d'Alene motel. 'Thank you for your tolerance," Butler said when informed by Kootenai County Sheriff's Capt Ben Wolfinger that he couldn't speak to news reporters at the Coeur d'Alene Inn, following his Christian Heritage and White Resistance march on Sherman Avenue. "You are very good tolerant people. You hate whites." A little more than an hour later, he returned to the property on Rimrock Road that he vacated Monday as part of an agreement to turn over his assets to Victoria and Jason Keenan. The Keenan's ownership of the property becomes official on Thursday. They won a $6.3 million judgment last month against Butler and three of his followers. With the power shut off, Butler took the podium in the dimly lighted church under the broken stained glass window. Butler vowed to continue preaching his white supremacist, anti-Semitic theology in North Idaho. "We're going to be living in Hayden," he said. "We wilJ have another church soon. We wilJ be giving services." Butler recognized that he may never return to the property where lived, preached and conducted the business of racism since 1973. MSure, it's hard to let go,'' he said. "If you've ever worked for anything, if you've ever stood for anything, you stand for it with all of your heart." Butler singled out one newspaper reporter for writing articles he said helped the Keenans win their case. Michael Teague, Butler's co-defendant and former second-in-command, demanded that the reporter leave. Others wearing the Aryan Nations uniforms began to approach the writer, but backed off at the behest of Butler's attorney, Edgar Steele of Sandpoint

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. COEUR d' ALENE Attorney Norm Gissel is flying high in his campaign for human rights. .. Fr esh on · l:,· - ~ ·..f ... . . the heels of ·. ,•' hi s $6.3 million civil <· '~~ court victory over the A r y a n Nations and just two days ~fter r ecei~- Gissel 10g a prestigious award in Spokane, Gissel tonight will add another honor to his name: th e 2000 Disti nguished Citizen Award from the Coeur d'Alene Area Chamber of Commerce. Gissel, a longtime human rights advocate who grew up in Sandpoint, represented Victoria and Jason Keenan in their recent lawsuit again st the Aryan Nations and its leade r Richard Butler. Over two years, Gissel volunteered 2,000 hours to the case, bringing i n the Southern Poverty Law Center and in August winning a verdict that s nuffed out the Aryan Nations as an organization and bankrupted Butler. uNorm has s pe nt time on this case since July 1998, and be has not and will not receive one single dime on the case," said North Idaho College political science instruc tor Tony Stewart, a longtime friend of Gissel.

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\Instructors' opinions differ on combating hate Stewart tries to take Aryan's spodight by providing town anernative activities by Kate Elsa life Editor Alt.hough political science instructor Tony Stewart is the adviser of lhe Human Equality Club and a board member of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relalions (KCTFHR), he has never directly protested the Aryan Nations. Stewart, along wilh the KCTFHR, has the philo ophy that when a hate group such as the Aryan Nations has a gathering or a march, they will never be there. "We have always taken the position that we will never be present,ÂˇÂˇ Stewart said. He urges those with the same views as the task force to do the same. "Our position has never been one of apathy. It has never been a photo by Andy Tevis position of ignoring the problem, but we try ro address the problem in "The street sweepers, that's irony!" sociology instructor David Cohen STEWART: continued page 3 shouts at the Aryan Nations parade down Sherman Avenue.

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TONY STEWART continued from page 1 other ways, methods and procedures," he said. " We understand that the counter demonstrators are well-meaning; we just think there is ..nother approach that is far more effeccive. Stewart made the ''They found a way to analogy of defeat the purpose of the an opening march without denying night of a them their first play. He amendment rights." said that if the curtain is open Tony Stewart, and there political science instructor is no one in the audience. the play will not go on. He believes if no one shows up to a march, the group will not march again. ''When a hate group marches down a street and there is not a s ingle person on the street, that group doesn't march again under that setting," he said. "They have experienced total defeat. What is the purpose of marching? To get attention." In 1990. the Ku Klux Klan announced they would be marching in Pulanski, Tenn .â&#x20AC;˘ every year to recognize that it is the birthplace of the KJan. Stewart received a call from the Pulanski Chamber of Commerce, who asked him for advice on what they should do on the day of the march. Stewart advised them to close the town, which they did. In each window. there were orange ribbon wreaths symbolic of human rights with signs under them saying, " We-support human rights" and, in the middle of town, a statue of a Confederate soldier had a orange ribbon was tied around it with a sign saying, " I support human rights." On the day of the parade. no one attended. The Klan marched around the courthouse once

and left the town. They have never returned. "The reason they had such a great victory is that they fou nd a way to defeat the purpose of the march without denying them their First Amendment rights," Stewart said. Whe n the Aryan Nations have had their marches, the task force has organized other events to deter people from attending. During the previous marches, a rally was held at Gonzaga and another at N"IC. This year, KCTFHR distributed red, white and blue posters of Idaho with their new slogan "Idaho: the Human Rights State." The Idaho Spokesman-Review distributed the posters in its paper the day before the march and many businesses around town displayed the m in their windows.

photo by Luke George

Marchers walk down Spokane's Mission Avenue toward Gonzaga University during a human rights march. The walk came a day after the Aryan National Alliance parade in Coeur d' Alene.

Cohen vocal, active ii proteslilg march; disagrees with task force's absence by Jerry Manter Nell's Editor

David Cohen, 32-year ociology teacher for NIC, is a fanatic when it comes to social and political issues, especially when the issue are giving North Idaho an unwanted mask of racial hatred . When Richard Butler and a handful of followers paraded down Sherman Avenue. Cohen was found mingling among the protestors and Aryan supporters. ''PoliticaJly it's exciting and gives me a chance to see and confront those members of the Aryan Nations that choose to put themselve on public display," Cohen said. "And I like that; I like engaging in conversation with them." As the clouds released a steady rain on the highly policed area, Butler in a white convertible broadcasted his message to the

DAVID COHEN continued from page 1 couple hundred onlookers through his megaphone. Despite all the hate, all the controversy, Butler and his Aryan Nation followers still have right to walk down Sherman and deliver their message. "1 don't like them and 1 don't like them marching here,"' Cohen said. "But it's their constitutional right and I would never want to impose any restrictions on what they do." Butler came to North Idaho primarily for the high caucasian ratio in the early '70s from Lancaster, Calif., and started his church soon after. ln 1980, there was an act of vandalism on a Jewish restaurant owner in town that came from members

of the Aryan Nation. "The process of intimidating members of the Jewish community really hit home," Cohen said. According to Cohen, the Kootenai County Task Force organized after a series of violent acts from the Robert Mathis group and when the community realized Butler wanted to overthrow the government. "I have been a marginal " But I really attack player in them in my classes; I use the Kootenai education. " County T ask David Cohen, Force," socfology instructor Cohen said. "But I really attack them in my classes; I use education." Cohen especiaJly d iscusses these issues when lecturing about race in his Social Problems class. Last summer at the Lions' Bandshell, when protests between the two sides started to get . physical, Cohen was there observing the fighting and hateful words being exchanged. "That was a scary moment," he said. While many people feel the Aryan Nations' group should be left alone, Cohen feels they should be confronted. "Whereever they appear, f'm going to appear," Cohen said. "I don't believe they should be ignored, and I believe they should be confronted.'' On the contrary, political science instructor Tony Stewart was not involved with the parade or any protests. Stewart is involved in the Kootenai County T ask Force, which believes in peaceful gatherings and not showing up to any Aryan Nation's parades. "I reaJJy admire Tony Stewart for all his dedication to the Kootenai County Task force," Cohen said. Unlike past parades, the protester population was down, possibly due to the poor weather conditions. ''I think they need to be challenged every step of the way," Cohen said. "Tony also believes that as well, we just have different ways of showing it."

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ANDY TEVIS/Press

North Idaho College political science instructor Tony Stewart, right, and Jonathan Gissel check out a gingerbread house donated by the Greenbriar Inn during Saturday's Coeur d'Alene Area Chamber of Commerce Banquet at The Coeur d' Alene Resort.

Our view Norm Gissels tireless, low-profile /eadershi.p helped convince this regi,on to embrace human rights and reject neo-Nazis.

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If Coeur d'Alene attorney Norm Gissel did nothing but help bankrupt the Aryan Nations, the Inland Northwest would owe him a debt of gratitude. Richard Butler's compound has been a festering source of hate for more than two decades. But Gissel's done much more. He helped form the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. He handled dozens of human rights cases pro bono. He represented single mothers facing unfair welfare policies. He started savings accounts with his own money for children of poor families so they can escape poverty as adults. Also, he's been a North Idaho College trustee and chairman of the Coeur d'Alene Library Board. In short, Gissel has devoted himself to his community and social justice. Fittingly, his tireless efforts were recognized last week by civil rights activists and hjs own town. No one is more deserving than Gissel to win the YWCA's 2000 Carl Maxey Racial Justice . Award and the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce's Citizen of the Year Award . In nominating him for the Maxey award, civil rights lawyer Morris Dees said Gissel's "persistence over the years in trying to make Idaho a more tolerant place are little known outside of a small group of people.' Dees, Gissel and Coeur d'Alene attorney Ken Howard formed the team that won a $6.3 million civil judgment against Butler and three former Aryan Nations security guards who assaulted a local woman and her son. Gissel is part of the amazing Kootenai County activists who spawned a regional human rights movement. Most have heard of Bill Wassmuth, former chairman of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations whose home was bombed by white supremacists. And of Tony Stewart, the guiding light behioo the local movement. But not of Gissel. Whether driving four hours to preach human rights to prisoners at Walla Walla or pushing for civic improvements, be does his job with quiet intensity. He doesn't care who gets the credit. Through persistence, he and the other activists made their community aware of the danger of not confronting racism. Then, nearby towns, like Sandpoint and Moscow, formed their own task forces to combat racism. Now, the region in general has rejected the message of hate. "His efforts show what one person can do to change a community, a state and a nation," Dees said. Butler's gospel of hate might have taken root without individuals like Wassmuth, Stewart and Gissel. May their kind increase. D.F. Ollverla/For the editorial board

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presence of hatred in our back yard has had the opposite effect Richard Butler (and now Vincent Bertollini) Aryans try to plant seeds suspici,on and mistrust; had intended: Instead of sowing the seeds of mistrust and suspicion, how ironic their methods have had the opporite effect. hundreds of people in North Idaho banded together to fight prejudice. I would dare say that without the likes of Richard Butler and Vincent Bertoltini, we would not have been shocked out of our complacency. Yes, we give them attention. Yes, the media converge from all over the nation to film the parades and the court trials. trying to make sure the shadow of the By Russell Wright Aryan Nations would not darken the Special to Handle Extra And there are some people who dooiway of our region forever. would argue that this only helps the The Northwest Coalition Against racists and their cause by helping ike hundreds of other North Malicious Harassment was formed as them to spread their message. Others Idaho residents, l opened my a direct response to the presence of plead for us to ignore them and hope mailbox last week to find a the Aryan Nations in 1987; since then, that they will go away. rather plain piece of mail. the human rights group has grown When I opened it, I found a Perhaps. But I'll do you one better. rapidly. repulsive message from the 11thDeception and Ues can be likened to It now works in six different states Hour Remnant Messenger lamenting mold and mildew. Expose them to and mails its newsletter to more than Idaho's many human rights groups the bright light of day, and they will 5,000 people. Hundreds of people and activists and ranting about how wilt away and die (or at least wither Jews are conspiring to take control of attend the annual conferencessignificantly). many, many more than have ever the world, one human rights activist attended one of the Aryan parades. I am pessimistic enough to suppose at a time. At first, I was repulsed and that we will always have our Richard offended. The Kootenai County Task Force Butlers and Vincent Bertollinis. But We Americans (most of us anyway) on Human Rights also has had a in a way, we need them, too. It is the dramatic impact in helping to like to think that we live in a country counter the message of the Aryan prompting we need in our continuing free from the ideas that propagated Nations and the 11th-Hour Remnant efforts to educate our children about the horrors of history - the the legitimacy of equality and the persecution of Jews, the enslavement Messenger. dignity and worth of every human of blacks, discrimination done in the The fact that the llth-Hour being. name of religion. Remnant Messenger sent out a flier specifically naming the people It seemed to me, for a short time, So, I say let them continue to that the human race has not made all involved with these two groups only attract attention and espouse their shows that the racist group is scared that much progress after all. conspiracy theories and racist that their message is not having its rantings through mailings, television But then I thought better of it. desired impact. coverage and newspaper articles; for Richard Butler and the Aryan So, should we lament'this mailing every convert they win over through Nations have been in Idaho for quite and wring our hands over the hatred a long time, and look what the result this exposure, there wilJ be dozens of printed on all that paper and the fact has been: By allowing them to people who wi!J see through their ties exercise their freedom of speech and that it was delivered to hundreds of and who wilJ be repulsed bywhat they homes in North Idaho? We could. assembly, we have allowed them to read, see and bear. Or we could sense a victory in the become their own worst enemy. North Idaho and the world will be fact that the 11th-Hour Remnant Their actions and speech have a better place for it. Messenger just spent hundreds of given rise to some of North Idaho's dollars to publicly announce that it is best: Bill Wassmuth, Norm Gissell, Tony Stewart (who were all named in worried about the abundance of human rights groups in Idaho. • Russell Wright is a former teacher at Post the mailing) and others who have aU Falls High School. lt is somewhat ironic that the spent an enormous amount of time

GUEST COLUMN

Group has become • its own worst en~my

WedneMtay, December 13, 2000 â&#x20AC;˘ Whidbey News-Times

Page Al

Hate groups fail to show on Whidbey for first time since '84 â&#x20AC;˘ Sherrifs Office hopeful it's end of annual rally By JIM LARSEN South Whidbey RectJnl edi/qr

It's December, and for the first time in years there's no sign of neo-Nazi activity on Whidbey Island. That's great news for the Island County Sheriffs Department, which has been tracking annual visits by hate groups since Dec. 8, 1984, when the FBI killed Robert Mathews in a fiery shootout in Greenbank. Mathews founded The Order, a notorious hate group based in Idaho.

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Since 1984, various hate groups have commemorated Mathews' death with annual visits to the island in December. Among them have been the Aryan Nations, White Aryan Resistance and, most recently, the National SocialistVanguard. In recent years they have congregated on Smuggler's Cove Road in front of the property where Mathews died. The Sheriffs Office watched the site closely last weekend. Detective Russ Lindner said Tuesday that the gToups historically appear the weekend before the date of Mathews' death. Last weekend, there was no activity. "It

was a non-event," Lindner said. The Sheriffs Office works closely with federal agencies to track bate groups. And to date, there appears to be no action scheduled for Whidbey Island this year. That could mean the end of Robert Mathews memorials on Whidbey Island. "We can always hope," said Llndner. "But there's always a new group waiting in the wings." Deputies will also be on alert this weekend in case a hate group should choose to appear alter the date of Mathews' death. "We11 continue lo watch it,'' Lindner said.

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King celebration grows Some 1,500 expected to join events By Rob McDonald Staff writer

The dream is bigger than ever. Spokane's 12th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration may draw its largest crowd ever over two days, organizers say. Efforts of the black community, Spokane School District 81 and the Martin Luther King Family Outreach Center have been fruitful, organizer Vickie Countryman said. At least 1,500 people are expected to take part in the Spokane events. "Everyone's chipping in this year," said Countryman, District 8I's equity director. On top of the extra support is a new, high-profile parade {OUte winding through downtown Spokane for the 2001 Freedom March on Monday. "This year is bigger," Countryman said. Spurred by Gov. Gary Locke's statewide urging to make the holiday a time for action rather than a day to sleep in, District 81 has urged students and educators to join in. Countryman said. "Our focus was to look at social justice this year," Countryman said. She expects at least 500 student,; to show up for the events, many with signs and posters to carry for the march. Organizers have also reached out to various people in Spokane representing the Hmong, Vietnamese, American Indian, Japanese American, Latino and

Hispanic, and Russian and Ukrainian communities. "Our group is much more diverse this year," Countryman said. The theme this year is "Catch the Dream ... Call to Action." Indian drumming groups will join Selkirk Celts Pipes and the Fairchild Air Force Base Color Guard for events. In years past, a community resource fair, a display of about 30 community support agencies, was held in the Ridpath Hotel. This year's fair will be next to shoppers in River Park Square, which donated the space for' the event. The high-profile location pleases Vince Lemus, Spokane human rights specialist. "The more people we can draw to understand what is the meaning behind the holiday, the better," Lemus said. " It means the conversation on civil rights, equal rights and human rights is taking place."

Holiday events Martin Luther King Jr. Day events in the region: • "A Time for Peace," 16th annual human rights celebration, 9:30 a.m., Friday in Coeur d'Alene at the Boswell Hall-Schuler Auditorium at North Idaho College. • Third-annual Human Rights Service honoring Martin Luther King Jr., 6 p.m., Friday, St. Pius Catholic Church, 62East Haycraft, Coeur d'Alene. • Freedom March, 11 a.m., Monday in Spokane, beginning at Post and Main, then heading east on Main, south on Stevens, west on Sprague, North on Wall, West on Riverside, north on Lincoln and back to River Park Squa~e.

Dr. King service tonight COEUR d'ALENE -A

special service is planned tonight to honor Martin Luther King Jr. 'This is the third year the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations has sponsored a Human Rights Service honoring the human rights pioneer. The event begins at 6 at St Pius Catholic Church. Father Roger LaChance is master of ceremonies. Task force member Marshall Mend will give a keynote address. Mend said the event is usually well-attended. "We'll be honoring Martin Luther King and talk about the things he did and what we can do to promote human rights," Mend said. Coeur d'Alene High School graduate Julian Fountain Saucedo, who founded the CHS Human Equality Club in 1985, is also scheduled to speak. Flfth-grade students from Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls school districts will perform. St Pius is at 625 E. Haycraft. -TARYN BRODWATER

C4 THE PRESS Friday, Jan. 12, 2001

Saturday

COEUR d' ALENE

Jan. 13, 2001 Mostly cloudy Weather/A2 4 sections

Vol. 94 No. 166

A TIME FOR PEACE 1,200 lllth-graders attend MU< Jr. celebradon

Inside • Sorenson Elementary students re-enact a civi l rights protest A2

By TA RYN BRODWATER

Staff writer COEUR d'ALENE - War

taught Coeur d'Alene High School's Yuliya Yefremova to appreciate peace. The exchange student from frozen Siberia has never fought in a war, but she lived next door to someone who had - her great-grandfather. He began fighting for his country when he was only 16 in Chechnya. That war continues today. He also fought in three more wars, Yefremova told a group of 1,200 fifthgraders Friday at North Idaho

College. "War is ugly," Yefremova told the quiet audience. "'The thing is, people who experience war learn to appreciate every day without war." Yefremova told the students that they didn't need to experience war themselves before appreciating peace. "I want peace for everyone on earth," she said. "All the countries on the earth are · brothers and sisters and we arc brothers and sisters. It is time for peace." So was the message of

Holiday closes schools, offices The poliday will also close COEUR d' ALENE Government offices will be federal agencies including closed Monday for the the U.S. Postal Service. Martin Luther King Day holiMany banks and local day. schools will plan to close City halls in Post Falls and their doo~ including North Coeur d'Alene will be closed Idaho College and the Coeur for the day, along with all d'Alene School District. Kootenai County offices. Friday's 16th annual Human Rights Celebration. The word was spoken again and again throughout the nearly twohour event, echoing the theme "A Time for Peace." Each year, fifth-graders from Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls come to NIC to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day

-JOE·BUILF.R and learn about how they can promote human rights. Organizer Tony Stewart said the event has grown so much over the years that it looks like it will have to be held in the NIC gymnasium next year. Stewart said he has KING continued on A2

JASON HUNT\Press

Emily Carlton, 10, of Seltice Elementary School holds onto a section of more than a thousand paper hands that were strung together and stretched around the room. Each hand had personal equality sayings w ritten by a fifth-grader from Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls elementary schools.

D1IG continued from A1 taught students at NIC who remember performing at the program when they were fifth. graders. "furn, Turn, Turn," the soulful Byrd's ballad about hate, war and peace, was the theme song for the event - first performed by Fernan Elementary Principal Jim Gray, then played during a dance interpretation by Skyway Elementary students and later sung aloud by the entire crowd. Coeur d'Alene Police Sgt Bob Pharris toured the elementary schools the week before Friday's program, asking students to sign their name on banners, pledging to treat all people with respect Friday, he asked them to keep those pledges. "We know you can't buy peace, you can't find it in a box," he said. "You have to work for it" He encouraged students to stand up for people who can't stand up for themselves and not to laugh when others are being ~ughedat The fifth-graders listened as three foreign exchange students shared their wishes for peace, then a representative from each

school delivered a message of their own. "It doesn't matter what's on the outside. What counts is what's on the inside," saidJacie Estes of Hayden lake Elementary. "All people should put aside their differences and have friendships." Fernan Elementary'sJoe Pitner said kids can make a difference. "It is never too early to start teaching or practicing peace," he said. "We can't wait until we're grownups." Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the same message that God delivered in the Bible, said Ponderosa Elementary'sJamie Stiner- be kind to everyone, even enemies. She said when people aren't sure if they ~ doing the right thing, they should remember the letters WWJD. "They mean 'What would Jesus do?'" she said. "He most certainly would not stand around and watch people get hurt," she said. Each student wrote their message for peace on a paper handprint The hands were tied together and stretched throughout the auditorium. Sorensen Principal Bob

F1'118dom Pledge During Sorensen Elementary's Human Right's Program, Principal Bob Shamberg read the following pledge, which area fifthgraders took during an assembly at North Idaho College earlier in the day: "I will pledge to be part of the solution. I will eliminate taunting from my own behavior. I will encourage others to do the same. I will do my part to make my community a safe place by being more sensitive to others. I will set the example of a caring individual. I will eliminate profanity toward others from my language. I will not let my words or actions hurt others. And if others won't become part of the solution, I will."

Shamberg challenged students to live by those words. The writing scrawled on one handprintsummed~up:"White men and black men should all get along."

Kids pledge allegiance to dignity Area fifth-graders rally for respect, rights at NIC By Alison Boggs

The students also made colored-paper CIJlOuts of their bands, printing them with individual messages. The hands were strung together and stretched around the auditorium, filling it with messa*es such as: "Say please and thank you," 'Help people in need," and "Share, whether it be a smile, a giggle or a gift." Keynote speaker Sgt. Bob Pharris of the Coeur d'Alene Police Department pounded borne the theme after visiting each school during the week. "You know what this is all about, and that is enJjghtening to me," Pharris told Continued: Human rlghts/A9

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COEUR d'ALENE- Hundreds of fifth-graders .from Coeur d'Alene and Post FalJs took a united stand Friday. They promised to respect all people, regardless of differences. "If others won't become part of the solution," they chanted, '1 will." The "No Taunting" pledge was part of the 16th annual human rights celebration at North Idaho College. The I NS I DE event for fifth. ..... holiday graders is held to commemorate obseMlnces planned ttroughout the birthday of Martin Luther North Idaho. King Jr. lllly,AI The gathering, which drew 1,200 students, is sponsored by the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. Task Force member Tony Stewart, who is also au NIC political science instructor, said the event has outgrown lhe college's Schuler Auditorium and likely will be held in Christianson Gymnasium next year. Other districts asked to be included. but unfortunately there wasn't room, said Pam Pratt, principal of Coeur d' Alene's Sl-yway Elementary. Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls schools held assemblies last week to prepare the students for Friday's grand finale. Students signed giant posters that read: '1 will treat all people with resr,ect and dignity." They all learned the' No Taunting" pledge, which includes such promises as being a caring person, not swearing at others, and not letting words or actions hurt others. "I will do my part to make my community a ~afe place by being more sensitive to others," the students chanted in unison.

~uman rights: 'Not to hurt . and no violence' Continued from A1

the students. '1 can't impress upon you enough th.at you have to stand up and be counted." He reminded the students that by signing the "No Taunting" pledges, they are promising to treat others as they want to be treated. "That's a very powerfuJ state-

ment," he said. "It's something that takes a lot of courage sometimes. We always go along with the crowd. Sometimes it's hard to be the one who doesn't laugh." But the message seemed to be hitting home. Three 10-year-old boys from Borah Elementary certainly had a solid grasp on what they were supposed to learn. "Not to hurt people and no violence," said Ryan Collinson. "Not to judge people from what they look like and if they think differently from you," said Kyle Schultz. "There's other ways to solve things than violence," said Kevin Pratt. "That's sort of what peace is."

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Wallace Nyberg, right, listens to Tony Stewart, a political science professor at North Idaho College, at a meeting of the Human Equality Club. Nyberg is the president of the club, which promotes human rights and respect on campus.

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OEU R d'ALENE-Jaws regularly dropped at North Idaho College when Amelia Phillips first walked to the front of the class to teach math. She knew some of the surprise sprang from her gender and some from her race. But it was the 1990s. Both explanations bugged her. "There's ignorance and a lack of exposure in this area," the African American woman says. "We have to educate people." Wrucb is why she joined the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. At least some people in North Idaho seemed to recognize that a variety of threads enrich the fabric of society. The task force didn't just tolerate PhilJips; it grew from her perspective and learned from her experience.

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Close to Home: More at ease CONCERT

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The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations and the North Idaho College Human Equality Club will present a concert by the "Voices of Africa" choral ensemble in NIC's Schuler Auditorium Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $5 and are available at Ticket Quick. 769-nao.

"No one wants to be just tolerated," says Tony Stewart, one of the task force's longest serving . volunteers. "We've arrived when we celebrate ouc differences." The task force has celebrated differences for nearly two decades. On Feb. 9, it will mark its 20th anniversary with a concert at NIC by an African â&#x20AC;˘ American choral ensemble, the "Voices of Africa.'!. Stewart booked the internationally acclaimed group from Philadelphia to bring local attention to Black History Month in F ebruary. The six women perform four- and five-part harmony from Nigeria, Ghana, Cuba, Brazil and North America and play a variety of percussion instruments. The task force believed at its birth that North Idaho's overwhelmingly white Christian population needed exposure to other cultures. But protection came first.

The group was sparked by anti-Semitic graffiti and swastikas spray-painted on a Hayden Lake restaurant owned by a Jewish man in December 1980. Dina Tanners, a Jewish woman, gathered people who were outraged to figure out bow to respond. A white supremacist assaulted and threatened two racially mixed children a few months later. Tanner's fledgling task force responded by pushing for state Continued: Close to Home/12

laws against malicious harassment. The laws passed in 1983, and the task force neady disbanded. Then, The Order, a violent whitesupremacist group, arose and a cartoon in a California newspaper showed Adolf Hitler leaning on a sign that said, "Welcome to Hayden . Lake, Idaho." "l said, ' We have to do something or our reputation is mud,' " said Realtor Marshall Mend, who joined Tanner's movement at its beginning. That's when the task force added a new focus - opening minds. The volu nteers understood the trickiness of such a project. They wanted to be more than do-gooders pushing appreciation of the world's cultures from a white perspective. Stewart recognized the opportunity NlC offered. He was a political science professor there. Speakers from all over the world shared ideas on everything on college campuses. He organized programs on diversity and human rights that brought to Coeur d'Alene civil rights activist Julian Bond, B'nai Brith counsel David Lehrer and Bureau of Indian Affairs director Ada Deer. among hundreds of others. The programs were free and open to the public. Stewart also videotaped the guests in a talk-show format for public television. The show still airs in six states, British Columbia and /\Iberia. As years passed, whitc supremacists continued to outrage the community. The task force built a repuiation on countering the offenses, because those actions drew

the most media attention. At the same time, the task force sank its roots deeply into local schools, from primary grades to NIC. Since 1984, it has used Martin Luther King Jr. 's birthday to introduce fifth-grade students to the idea that people don't all look, think or act alike. Students are taught to respect people who differ from them. The task force has counted on those kids taking their lessons home. "We've worked very hard, realizing we don't have the diversity here you find in Chicago and New York," Stewart says. "We want people to have more exposure to diversity and we spend a lot of time and energy working on it. " Stewart admits that change comes slowly, but he believes Kootenai County is more open to diversity now than it was 20 years ago. It's hard to measure, but the community has offered hints. Students at Lake City High and Coeur d'Alene High raised $4,300 for the task force in the past three years. They sold IO-cent links to a human rights chain. Those students began their human rights education in the Âˇ fifth-grade program the task force started 16 years ago, Stewart says. Task force banquets and events sell out now. Businesses that originally stayed away from the human rights battle put signs in their windows supporting human rights during recent white supremacist marches in downtown Coeur d'Alene. A Kootenai County jury slapped white supremacists with a $6.3 million civil judgment a few months ago for appointing security guards who carried out an a'>sault. Stewart doesn't believe the sa me situation would have drawn such a verdict here 20 years ago. '' I don' t want to leave the impression we don't have a problem:Âˇ he says. "But I really think sensitivity is high."' Menu is a 20-veteran of the task force and a Jewish man white

supremacists have routinely threatened. He sees plenty of work ahead for the task force, even as he appreciates the work it has done. "Life is better here than it was 20 years ago, but it wasn't that terrible then," he says. He credits white supremacists with opening minds as much as the task force has. "By seeing people like the Aryan Nations, it gave people here a chance to search their souls and study their own prejudices," he says. " l think we're all betler for that." Mend bemoans the continued lack of diversity in North Idaho. He says minorities perceive the area as unfriendly. The task force has succeeded in bringing people of varied cultures to Kootenai County as guests, but not as new residents. "The perception is real to them, even though that's not what Idaho is," he says. "We have to change that perception." But Phillips, a minority woman, hasn't found North Idaho or Spokane particularly comfortable in her 10 years in Coeur d'Alene. " It's too narrow-minded as far as people are concerned and the only culture that counts is the Inland Northwest culture," she says. Friends persuaded her to move from Los Angeles in 1991 after the real estate market crashed and took her company with it. She was an engineer who had moved into real estate. " My friends were more afraid of the area than I was, and they're white," she says. She didn't plan to stay. Then, NIC hired her part time. She fel t more comfortable in Germany than she did in Coeur d'Alene. " I went for a bike ride in the woods (in Germany) by myself. I would never do that here," she says. "When I think Germany is the home of Nazism, it's very ironic. I notice it more here." Phillips joined the task force to set

an example for other Inland Northwest minorities and to be among people with whom she coulu relax. She teaches at Spokane Falls Community College now and plans to leave the Inland Northwest as soon as she works out the money. Until then, she performs in public as black women whose accomplishments American history has nearly ignored. The task force is correct about the area needing exposure to other cultures, she says. She teaches fencing in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene, attends peaceful human rights protests and helps the task force understand that the area still has a long way to go. " In December I went to a laundromat and another black woman came up to me and said, 'Hi. How long have you been here?' " Phillips says, adding relief 10 her voice to dramatize the woman's question. She sighs that her race is so rare in Coeurd' Alene that the woman felt an immediate kinship with her. "It's definitely changed here. We're seeing more minorities, but I still don't consider it the safest place. New York is safer." â&#x20AC;˘ Cynthia Taggart can be reached at 765-7128 or by e-mail at cynthiat@spokesman.com.

PageB4 Thursday, February 1, 2001 The Spokesman-Review Spokane. WashJCoeur d'Alene. Idaho

Our view

-Without aprayer antiproud ofit Hot Potatoes

TheSpokesman-Review

he Spokane Human Rights Commission is at it again-political correctness, that is. Now, the Christophobic "bored" has voted 9-0 to back Councilman Steve Eugster's loopy battle against council prayer. Sniffed an oh-so-offended com-hissioner: "Invocation to any deity (read, You Know Who) is in conflict with the City Council's own commitment to D.f. the promotion of diversity and respect for the various Ollverla cultures of Spokane." Hot Potatoes can't imagine the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations wasting political capital on a nothingburger issue like this. P'haps that's why Lake City R-E-S-P-E-C-Ts its task force. And, with help from people of prayer, ran the Aryan Nations out of town.

Our view The Kootenai CO'unty Task Force rm Human Relations could askfar no better 20th birthdaygi,ft than next weeks auction.

County's pride shows task force's strength Kootenai County is much different today than it was in December 1980 when Sid Rosen found racist graffiti sprayed on bis Hayden restaurant. Back then, victims of bigotry in Kootenai County bad to live with the fear and sense of isolation that came with being singled out by immigrating racists. There was no place to turn for ready-made support. Some moved elsewhere, as a mixed-race fa mily from Post Falls did in the early 1980s after being harassed by a racist. Today, targets of malicious harassment could bank on backing from a veteran core of human rights activists, tough Idaho laws against hate crimes, and a community that has had its fill of white supremacists and so-called Christian identity theology. Over the next eight days, the Inland Northwest will celebrate two events tied to the cowardly attack on Rosen's restaurant: On Friday, the 20th anniversary of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. And, next Tuesday, the auction of Richard Butler's former Aryan Nations compound, north of Hayden Lake. It's hard to say what Kootenai County would be like today if the task force hadn't been here to resist Butler's neo-Nazi creed. Larry Broadbent, the late Kootenai County undersheriff and humanrights advocate, once said that, without the task force, there'd be hundreds and maybe thousands of racists in the county- instead of a handful. One thing's almost certain. Without the organized opposition provided by the task force, Butler's influence would have spread - and his Hayden Lake area hate campus probably would still be open for business. The attack on Rosen's business begat a meeting of concerned citizens at Coeur d'Alene's First Christian Church. That begat the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. And that later begat the five-state Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment. Under the wise, gutsy leadership of Bill Wassmuth, Tony Stewart and Norm Gissel, the task force countered every nasty move by local racists. ft comforted hate-crime victims. When Butler staged a parade or an Aryan gathering, it countered with nonconfrontational human-rights activities. It helped write tough anti-bigotry laws. It spawned other North Idaho task forces. Ultimately, Butler was snagged by Idaho's malicious harassment law. Last fall, a Kootenai Countyjury awarded a $6.3 miUion civil judgment against Butler and three former Aryan Nations members, for a 1998 attack on a mother and her son. The verdict bankrupted Butler and forced the sale of his 20-acre compound. According to Stewart, nothing has done more to redeem Kootenai County's reputation than the Aryan Nations verdict. Although Butler's few remaining followers plan to meet at Farragut State Park and march again in Coeur d'Alene this July, they no longer have a campus to visit and learn about hate year round. That alone makes Kootenai County a better place. D.F. Oliveria/For the edttorial board

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Wednesday FEBRUARY 14 , 2001 â&#x20AC;˘

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Aryan compound sold at auction to Keenans Bankruptcy court makes quick work of North Idaho monument to hate

By Bill Morlin Staff writer

COEUR d'ALENE - A 20-acre piece of North Idaho property with a legacy of hate and criminal acts was sold for $250,000 Tuesday at a U.S. Bankruptcy Court auction. The new owners of the former Aryan Nations compound are Victoria and Jason Keenan. With their $6.3 million jury award against the Aryan Nations and its founder, Richard G. Butler, the Keenans became the only qualified bidder for the property. They expect to sell it soon to one of several civil-rights philanthropists expressing interest.

The infamous chunk of land north of H ayden Lake - which Butler spent a quarter-century developing - was sold in less than seven minutes in a stark government conference room in the U.S. Courthouse in Coeur d'Alene. "This is the time set for the sale of certain real and personal items in the bankruptcy case re: Richard Girnt Butler," said trustee Ford Elsaesser "That's bankruptcy case No. 0021265." Butler, who turns 83 on Feb. 23, sat in the back row, stared glumly and said nothing during the proceeding. He was accomparued by two friends. His property was put up for sale to

Victoria Keenan arrives at the tede;a1 courthouse in Coeur d'Alene on Tuesday. Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

satisfy . creditors in a bankruptcy action Butler filed in October. The sale was widely advertised, Elsaesser said. "No other parties expressed an interest to us," the trustee said as the Keenans and their attorney, Norm

Gissel! of Coeur d'Alene, listened from front-row seats. "At this time, I have no other bids," Elsaesser said. "The Keenans' bid is the highest and best bid for this property." Continued: Aryan/A7

Aryan:Notsure what they'll do with Nazi items Continued from A1

"I will declare the property has been sold by me for the :Sutler estate to the Keenans," the trustee said. A few minutes later, he went upstairs to a federal courtroom where he informed U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Terry Myers of the sale via video conference. Myers issued a court order, formally approving the sale. The Keenans squeezed each other's hands as the judge concluded. The property, its buildings and their contents were sold for $250,000. To qualify for the auction, the Keenans' attorney earlier made a $15,000 earnest money payment to the bankruptcy trustee. Gissell turned over another $80,000 check at the conclusion of the auction. The remaining $155,000 was credited against the judgment the Keenans hold against Butler. The $95,000 now held by the trustee will be disbursed to those with liens on the property, including a $65,000 Lien filed by Sandpoint attorney Edgar Steele. He represented Butler in the civil trial that ended with the jury verdict in September. The Southern Poverty Law Center forwarded the $95,000 to Gissell, who put the money in his trust fund to write the purchase checks. Center cofounder Morris Dees was the lead attorney in the successful suit. The money will be repaid to the center after the Keenans sell the property, probably by April. Outside the courthouse, Butler sounded angry. "I am part of the generation that should have saved the world," Butler began, pulling his brown jacket around him on the cold courthouse steps. "The whole system is controlled by the Jews .. ." he continued. When a reporter asked him about the financial loss, Butler said, " I haven't lost my honor." "We have Judaism and communism now for government," he said, before jumping into a minivan and driving off.

A few minutes later, the Keenans left the courthouse with Gissell. Beaming, they posed for photographs and answered reporters' questions. "I'm very happy this is coming to an end," Victoria Keenan said. " I feel very good, very, very good." With the loss of bis Aryan property, she said, Butler "can't do bis preaching up there any more and can't have camp-outs for those kids." Jason Keenan, 21, said be is glad he and his mother pursued the lawsuit after they were assaulted by three guards outside the Aryan compound in 1998. "This was pretty much a mark in history, a mark in time," he said. Victoria Keenan said she isn't sure what they will do with a trailer-load of Nazi memorabilia, flags and Aryan Nations publications. "Bum it? I'm not sure yet," she said. She and her son turned down TV journalists' requests to be photographed with the Aryan booty they nowown. "I don't want anything to do with it," she said. They are more concerned about the long-term use of the property. Establishing an anti-bate center or returning it to farmland are among the possibilities, they said. "I'd say there's always going to be evilness up there," Jason Keenan said. "We need Indians to go up there and bless the land, to get rid of all that evilness," said Victoria Keenan, who is part Cherokee. While the sale may not end the presence of the Aryan Nations, Gissell said, it and the jury award are, nonetheless, major statements. "Twelve ~opJe looked him in the eye and said he was wrong and we were right," GisselJ said. Future hatemoogers such as convicted murderer and ex-Aryan guard Buford Furrow won't have a white supremacy hangout in North Idaho, Gissell said. "They'll have to go elsewhere to learn hatred." â&#x20AC;˘ Bill Mor1in can be reached at (509) 459-5444 or by e-mall at billm@spokesman.com.

The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations could ask for no better 20th birthda.y gift than next week~ auction. .....

County's pride shows task force's strength Kootenai County is much different today than it was in December 1980 when Sid Rosen found racist graffiti sprayed on his Hayden restaurant. Back then, victims of bigotry in Kootenai County had to live with the fear and sense of isolation that came with being singled out by immigrating racists. There was no place to tum for ready-made support. Some moved elsewhere, as a mixed-race family from Post Falls did in the early 1980s after being harassed by a racist. Today, targets of malicious harassment could bank on backing from a veteran core of human rights activists, tough Idaho laws against hate crimes, and a community that bas bad its fill of white supremacists and so-called Christian identity theology. Over the next eight days, the Inland Northwest will celebrate two events tied to the cowardly attack on Rosen's restaurant: On Friday, the 20th anniversary of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. And, next Tuesday, the auction of Richard Butler's former Aryan Nations compound, north of Hayden Lake. It's hard to say what Kootenai County would be like today if the task force hadn't been here to resist Butler's neo-Nazi creed. Larry Broadbent, the late Kootenai County undersheriff and humanrights advocate, once said that, without the task force, there'd be hundreds and maybe thousands of racists in the county- instead of a handful. One thing's almost certain. Without the organized opposition provided by the task force , Butler's influence would have spread - and his Hayden Lake area hate campus probably would still be open for business. The attack on Rosen's business begat a meeting of concerned citizens at Coeur d' Alene's First Christian Church. That begat the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. And that later begat the five-state Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment. Under the wise, gutsy leadership of BilJ Wassmutb Tony Stewart and Norm Gissel, the task force countered every nasty move by local racists. It comforted hate-crime victims. When Butler staged a parade or an Aryan gathering, it countered with oooconfrontational human-rights activities. It helped write tough anti-bigotry laws. It spawned other North Idaho task forces. Ultimately, Butler was snagged by Idaho's malicious harassment law. Last fall, a Kootenai County jury awarded a $6.3 rniUion civil judgment against Butler and three former Aryan Nations members, for a 1998 attack on a mother and her son. The verdict bankrupted Butler and forced the sale of his 20-acre compound. According to Stewart, nothing has done more to redeem Kootenai County's reputation than the Aryan Nations verdict. Although Butler's few remaining followers plan to meet at Farragut State Park and march again in Coeur d'Alene this July, they no longer have a campus to visit and learn about hate year round. That alone makes Kootenai County a better place. D.F. Oliveria/For the editorial board

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